


Their Soulmate

by BurningRoseArts



Category: James McAvoy - Fandom, Michael Fassbender - Fandom, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: AU- Alpha/Omega universe, Abduction, Alpha James McAvoy, Alpha Michael Fassbender, Alpha Tom Hiddleston, Alpha/Omega Relationships, Bondage kink, ComicCon, Daddy Kink, Dark James, Dark Tom, Discipline, Dom James McAvoy, Dom Michael Fassbender, Dom Tom Hiddleston, Emotional Manipulation, Loss of Virginity, Non-Consensual Drug Use, OFC not happy about being an Omega, Omega OFC, Psychological Manipulation, Soulmarks, Soulmates, Stockholm Syndrome, Sub OFC, dark michael
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2018-10-11 18:46:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 48,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10471593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningRoseArts/pseuds/BurningRoseArts
Summary: Zarina was an Omega and hated it. She did everything to avoid meeting her potential Alphas- the universe had given her three. And it scared her. At SDCC, Zarina meets her favorite actors, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. Unfortunately, they turned out to be her Alphas. Who were not willing to let her decline being their Omega. They go to extreme lengths to keep her as their Soulmate.Excerpt: “Zarina.” His tone stern, causing her to finally look up from her plate and meet his severe gaze. “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior. I will not let you starve yourself and make yourself sick in some spiteful form of protest against our keeping you here. If you do not start eating, I will have Tom hold you still while I feed you. This is your last warning.”Michael’s threat had the desired effect. Zarina looked at him wide eyed, first with shock at such a threat, then fear when Michael’s expression and body language made it very clear he meant what he said. She cautiously cast a sideways glance at Tom, and he actually seemed excited by the prospect of holding her while Michael force-fed her. A peek over at James told her he didn’t like the idea of Michael’s proposal, but he’d help however he could.





	1. The First Night

**Author's Note:**

> I am not abandoning my other stories, I promise. I have no idea where this story concept came from, but it has taken over my writing muse. This all came from some weird dreams I've had over the last few days and I just had to write them down. I hope you enjoy. I'm seeing this going to some dark places, just warning you.  
> Shout out points to anyone who can identify the movie I watched before having the first dream :)

“I want to go home,” Zarina said. She stood in the far corner of the moderate sized, windowless room, arms crossed in front of her, defensively. “Please,” she whispered as an afterthought. Her voice was small and trembling. She couldn’t understand why they had done this to her. Tom and Michael both gave her sympathetic looks from where they were sitting around a table in the tiny kitchenette. 

“You are home, Pixie,” Tom said. “This is where you belong. You’re our mate. Our Omega, by the laws of nature. Your home is with us.” He was trying so hard to stay calm and sound comforting. But her stubbornness was wearing on him.

Zarina had woken up only two hours ago. She remembered the long and miserable plane ride from New York to London. And the terrible trouble she had collecting her checked luggage after getting through customs. The only thing that had kept her from screaming at people out of frustration was the reminder of a two week vacation in Europe. Two long years of planning and saving, and she was finally in London, on her way to meet her friend who had arrived the night before. Standing outside Heathrow, Zarina hailed a cab to take her to the hotel her friend had already checked into. If she had been at all familiar with London, she would have known the driver was not taking her towards the hotel. Instead, she sat back, listened to her iPod and watched the city streets whiz by. Until, that is, the cab stopped in front of some seemingly random building and another passenger slid into the backseat next to her. When she looked up from her phone, she saw Him sitting next to her.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed. 

Before Tom could answer, the door next to her opened and another man squeezed in next to her, effectively trapping her in the middle of the backseat. Zarina turned to see Michael sitting next to her. As soon as the door was shut, the cab took off. Zarina opened her mouth to protest the situation, but the sting of a syringe needle invading her neck cut her off. When the needle was extracted from her neck, she reflexively clapped her hand over the tiny puncture mark.

“What did... you... do?” She fell backwards into Michael’s waiting arms before anyone could assure her she was safe and would be cared for. 

When she woke up, she was laying on the soft mattress of a twin sized, upholstered daybed. She found Tom sitting on a cozy looking rocking chair, flipping through channels on the TV hanging on the wall opposite the daybed. When he noticed she had woken up, he abandoned the TV and focused on her, gently attempting to calm her rising anxiety. They were alone together for about thirty minutes before Michael walked into the room. 

Now they were both trying to calm the frightened woman, who refused to let either man get more than a few feet from her. Everyone one tried to approach her, she'd move to put as much distance as possible between them. 

“I know this isn’t easy. But you didn’t leave us any choice. You just wouldn’t cooperate. It’s been three months since we met and you refuse to even be alone with us. It’s not fair, you know. You’re not the only one in this. All three of us have spent our lives waiting to find our mate. Waiting for that special name to appear on our arms. Watching friend after friend find their mates. And we finally met her, you! Granted, we weren’t expecting we'd have to share our mate, but I guess it could be worse.” Michael stood up and started slowly walking over to where Zarina was standing. “Please, just give us a chance.”

“A chance! I told you from the beginning I have no interest in being anyone’s mate. I have my own life, my own things.” Zarina fidgeted and pressed herself further against the corner. “Give you a chance? You drugged me! You abducted me. I’m being kept in this room against my will. And you want me to give you a chance?”

“Pixie, you need to calm down,” Tom started.

“Don’t call me that!” Zarina snapped. “I'm not your anything!”

“But you are. You are my Pixie, Michael's Morsel and James's Baby Doll. Why can't you just accept that?” Tom demanded.

Before Zarina could say or do anything, the door Michael had come through an hour earlier opened again. This time it was James entering the room. And he had a small kitchen cart with four serving trays, four glasses and two bottles of wine, one white and one red. He wheeled it into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. 

“Good evening, Baby Doll,” James said, sweetly. “How are you feeling?” He looked at Tom and Michael. “Any lingering effects of the sedative?”

“Of course you're in on this,” Zarina grumbled. She slid down the wall, plopping on the carpeted floor, legs folding up in front of her so she could hug them to her chest. Her mahogany hair flowing around her like a shield. All three men noticed how much she looked like a scared little girl in that moment. She buried her face against her knees and began to sob quietly. 

“Oh Baby Doll,” James sighed. He looked to Tom and Michael. Tom looked sympathetic and upset that his mate was so upset. Michael looked confused and completely uncomfortable with his mate crying. James grabbed a blanket from the daybed, slowly crept over to Zarina and knelt next to her. “Zarina, Baby Doll, listen. I know you're frightened. That is a very reasonable response to what we did. But I swear to you we mean you no harm. We have no intention of forcing you to do anything you are not comfortable with. We just needed to find a way to be with you. You are so dead set against being anyone’s mate you refused to see rejection was affecting us. We want to get to know you and want you to get to know us. We already feel such a strong affection for you.” James wrapped the blanket around Zarina’s shoulders and gently smoothed down her slightly staticy hair. “I bet you’re hungry, or at least thirsty. Please won’t you come over to the table and have dinner with us?”

Zarina had sat through James’s little speech, quietly crying, trying to figure out how she could have avoided this whole catastrophe. She startled when James wrapped the blanket around her, and flinched at his intimate touch. When he asked her to dine with them, she realized she was, in fact, hungry. Zarina lifted her face from her knees and looked up into the concerned gaze of James, her soft ice green eyes puffy and red. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked. She nodded. He stood up, put his hands out and waited for her to accept the help up. She slipped her small, trembling hands in his warm ones and let him pulled her to her feet. “That’s my good girl.” 

James walked backwards, keeping eye contact with Zarina, to the small round table. Tom and Michael were already standing there, waiting for her. Tom had pulled out a chair for her. James lead Zarina to the chair, guiding her to sit once she’d reached the seat. Michael pushed the chair in once she had sat down.

“There,” James soothed. “Not so bad, is it?”

There were four covered plates, four glasses with water and four wine glasses set on the table. James sat to Zarina’s right, Tom to her left and Michael across from her. Tom took the cover off the plate in front of Zarina before uncovering his own. Each plate was piled with spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread. Zarina was reluctant to admit it smelled and looked amazing. 

“Typically, red wine is served with red sauce, but I know some people don’t like red wine, so Michael bought a white, just in case,” Tom explained. “Do you have a preference, Pixie?”

“I like semi-sweet wines. Back home there's a winery that makes a rosé called Blushing Rose. It's my favorite.”

“I bet it's a lovely wine,” James said softly, pouring the white wine into her glass. Michael had pour red for the three men. 

Thought she was hungry, Zarina found it difficult to eat. Instead, she pushed the food around on her plate. She didn’t even touch the wine, and only took a couple of sips of the water. 

“Pixie, you need to eat.” Tom watched Zarina stubbornly continue to play with her food. Both he and Michael had finished with their meal, James was still working on his garlic bread. “Please, Zarina. Just a few bites. You haven't eaten all day and we don't want to see you get sick.” 

But when she still refused to eat, it was Michael who spoke up next.

“Zarina.” His tone stern, causing her to finally look up from her plate and meet his severe ice blue gaze. “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior. I will not let you starve yourself and make yourself sick in some spiteful form of protest against our keeping you here. If you do not start eating, I will have Tom hold you still while I feed you. This is your last warning.”

Michael’s threat had the desired effect. Zarina looked at him wide eyed, first with shock at such a threat, then fear when Michael’s expression and body language made it very clear he meant what he said. She cautiously cast a sideways glance at Tom, and he actually seemed excited by the prospect of holding her while Michael force-fed her. A peek over at James told her he didn’t like the idea of Michael’s proposal, but he’d help however he could. 

With a shaky hand, Zarina twirled her fork and loaded it with a small amount of the pasta. And once she started eating, her ravenous stomach took control and she soon finished everything from her plate, the glass of wine and the water.

“There now, don’t you feel a little better?” Tom asked gently, placing his big warm hand over hers on the table. Zarina attempted to pull her hand away, but Tom wrapped his long, strong fingers around it and held it in place.

When Zarina didn’t offer a response, Michael cleared his throat, to get her attention again. “Tom asked you a question, Morsel. When we ask you something, you will answer, respectfully.”

Swallowing the angry lump forming in her throat, Zarina found her voice, weakly. “Yes.”

“Respectfully, Morsel,” Michael corrected.

“Thank you.”

Once they had finished eating, Tom and James managed to convince Zarina to sit between them on the daybed and watch a little TV while Michael took the kitchen cart out of the room. When he came back in, he sat on the bed next to James. It was a situation that didn’t call for conversation. They just wanted her to stay calm. If she grew too anxious, she’d know they were drugging her when the sedative kicked in and she suddenly got tired and docile. Michael had convinced both Tom and James that crushing up half a flunitrazepam and mixing it into her food was for her own good. None of them wanted to harm her, or cause her to grow a dependency on the drug, but they also recognized she was a very headstrong woman. If they left her to her own devices overnight, she’d look for a way out of the room. She would run, and they’d lose their chance to persuade her into remaining their mate. About an hour after dinner, they started noticing the first signs of the sedative taking effect. The whole time she’d been sitting between Tom and James, she was fidgeting, trying to avoid touching either man. It was clear she was uncomfortable. But when she started rubbing her eyes, tiredly, and her body became less rigid, it was clear the sedative was kicking in. Another hour and her eyes were growing heavy and she was relaxing more, starting to lean against Tom’s shoulder. 

Soon after, the three men heard her soft snores and knew she was finally sleeping, again. Michael and James carefully moved off the bed while Tom pulled Zarina into his arms. He lifted her off the bed and waited for the other two to pull the sheets aside and set the pillows up so he could put her back down. 

After affectionately tucking in their sweet little Omega, Tom, James and Michael left her to sleep. They would be back in the morning to check on her.


	2. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to SCDD 2016 and how Zarina met her Alpha's.

_Zarina was so excited to be at San Diego ComicCon. She had arrived Thursday evening and checked into a hotel room with her three friends. Early Friday morning, the four friends awoke, dressed and got over to the the convention. Zarina was going to get autographs from some of her favorite actors and actresses during this trip. She had made three drawings of her three favorite actors as their characters in some of her favorite movies, making a copy of each so the actor could keep the original (signed by her) and she could keep the copy signed by them._

_After a couple of movie panels, she got in line for the first autograph. Tom Hiddleston. Because of the last panel she went to, she was very close to the end of the line, so she had to endure nearly and hour and a half of waiting before it was her turn. But she knew meeting him was completely worth the tired feet and aching back._

_Stepping to the front of the line, Zarina put the drawings on the table in front of Mr. Hiddleston. When he looked up at her with his signature charming smile, she smiled back. “The original is for you. Could you sign the copy, my name is Zarina Poe.”_

_Tom’s smiled turned decidedly cheeky and his crystal blue eyes flashed with mischievous delight. “Ah, my very own Pixie!” he said, in a low seductive growl. He looked down at the drawings in front of him. Zarina had drawn his character from Pirate Fairy, James, along with the pirate fairy herself, Zarina. “Did you create this yourself?” She nodded enthusiastically. “It's quite impressive, Pixie! Thank you!”_

_As she watched Tom sign the copy, she suddenly engendered something. He called her ‘Pixie’. ‘My very own Pixie,’ he had said. Those were the words of her first soulmark. Her eyes wondered down to his left forearm, resting casually on the table. With his shirt sleeve rolled up, she could see the black ink of the Alpha Soulmark scrawl her name across his arm. She could feel the mark on her own arm changing as his name was added._

_When he looked back up at the pretty, dark haired young woman, Tom noticed she'd gone a bit pale._

_“Are you alright, Pixie?” He cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows going up in concern._

_“Yes, thank you. Just been standing for a while, my back’s starting to bother me. Thank you so much for the autograph, Mr. Hiddleston.” Zarina smiled graciously as she picked up her copy._

_“Thank you for the beautiful drawing, Pixie! Have a great time at the Con!”_

_Zarina smiled one last time before exiting the line. She quickly made her way over to the next autograph line, where she met up with her friend, Sophie._

_“How was Tom Hiddleston? Did he like your drawing?” Sophie asked._

_“He seemed to like it, yeah.” Zarina wasn't really paying attention to Sophie, who was talking all about meeting another celebrity. Zarina was too busy looking around as if expecting someone to come out of nowhere and grab her._

_“Are you okay, Z? You look totally freaked out,” Sophie finally pointed out._

_“Ugh, no I’m not okay,” Zarina replied. She took off her long sleeve cardigan, revealing her three soulmarks._ _“I met one of my Alphas.”_

_“Oh my god! You met your soulmate at ComicCon? Who?”_

_Zarina let Sophie look at the writing on her arm. Though Sophie wasn’t Garou, she had been friends with Zarina since before middle school. So she knew all about the Garou Soulmarks. Sophie knew that Zarina, much to her dismay, was an Omega. She found out when she was 13 and her Soulmarks, also known as Alpha-marks, appeared. All three appeared at the same time on her left forearm. Her family believed she would have been a Beta, like her parents and sister. But no, she was an Omega. Destined to be mated to an Alpha. Not just one Alpha, but three. Sophie knew only Omegas and Alphas have Soulmarks. The Omega’s mark is the first words his or her future Alpha says to him or her upon first meeting. Once the words are uttered by the Alpha, the Alpha receives his or her Soulmark, the Omega’s name. Omega’s get their marks when they reach puberty. Sophie also knew it was exceedingly rare for an Omega to have two marks and unheard of for an Omega to have more than two. The Omega’s mark will also change upon meeting the Alpha, adding the Alpha’s name. In the Garou culture it is thought to be a blessing for Omega’s, that these marks exist. It reduces the risk of being taken by an Alpha who is not meant to be with the Omega. Some Alphas can be cruel and aggressive, forcing themselves on unsuspecting Omegas. The marks give the Omega’s a bit of control, if the Alpha does not correspond with the mark, the Omega won’t feel a draw towards the Alpha, therefore they are not inclined to the sway of the Alpha. Zarina was the only exception. She had three. And she hated it. But Sophie still struggled to understand why Zarina hated being an Omega. Even more so, why she never wanted to meet her Alpha’s. Zarina has been the first to address people upon first introductions in an attempt to avoid meeting her Alphas. Usually she’ll say something like ‘Hi, I’m Zarina,’ forcing the other person to introduce themselves and not saying one of the three sentences written as her soulmark. So Sophie was beyond curious as to how someone had managed to say one of the sentences inked on her best friend’s arm._

_But all thought vanished from Sophie’s mind when she saw the name next to the first mark. Thomas William Hiddleston._

_“Eeeeee! OH MY GOD!!!” Sophie shrieked so loud, everyone within fifty feet heard her, and everyone within twenty feet stopped and stared at her._

_Zarina acted fast. She clamped a hand over her friends mouth and shushed her violently. “Shut up! Do NOT draw attention to us!” she hissed._

_“Tom Hiddleston is one of your soulmates! Why are you standing here? You should be hitting that fine ass NOW!” Sophie was bouncing on her feet with excitement._

_“Are you fucking crazy!” Zarina snapped. Sophie and Zarina were at the back of the line to get autographs from James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, so fortunately, her little hysterics were not disrupting many people. But the few people immediately in front of them were giving them sideways glances and whispering to each other. “Can we not do this here? Let’s just get these autographs and then we can go freak out at the bar, okay?”_

_“Oh, alright. Fine. But we are coming back to this once we get some drinks!” Sophie conceded._

_Zarina and Sophie stood in line for nearly two hours. By the time they were at the front of the line, Zarina was surreptitiously massaging her lower back. Sophie was before Zarina in line, and set her autograph book in front of James McAvoy, then slid it over in front of Michael Fassbender, requesting signatures. As Sophie stood in front of Fassbender, Zarina placed a drawing and it’s copy in front of McAvoy. It was a colored pencil drawing of his character, Gnomeo, from Gnomeo and Juliet._

_“Hi, the original is for you, could you sign the copy for me? My name is Zarina Poe.”_

_James looked up at the beautiful woman in a simple black babydoll styled dress and pigtails. “Such a sweet little BabyDoll,” he mused, just loud enough for her to hear. “Did you draw this?” Zarina nodded enthusiastically. “It’s amazing! Thank you!”_

_As James went about signing the copy, Zarina looked down at her arm. Next to the second soulmark, the name James McAvoy had appeared. She glanced down at his arm and saw her full name written there. “_

_Something wrong, Baby Doll?” James asked. When he looked up, Zarina was staring at him strangely._

_“No,” she said, trying to recover from her shock. She took the copy from James's hand. “Thank you, Mr. McAvoy. Have a great weekend.” She smiled one last time and slid over to stand in front of Michael._

_“She’s with me,” Sophie said when Michael opened his mouth to protest Zarina’s intrusion. He nodded and finished signing Sophie’s book. When he slid the book back over to Sophie, he looked at Zarina, with an appraising eye._

_“The original is for you, can you sign the copy for me? My name is Zarina Poe.”_

_Michael smiled, looked at the drawing of his character from X-Men and signed it. Holding it up for her to take, he purred, “For the delicate little Morsel.” The copy was in his left hand, and Zarina had gone to grab it with her left, as her right hand was holding her cardigan, purse and other drawings._

_Sophie’s extremely excited gasp and clapping hands drew Michael and James’s attention to the two girls. Sophie was near bursting with girlish glee, and Zarina had frozen in shock completely. Michael looked at the copy of her drawing, and notice his arm in the process._

_Seeing Michael stare at his arm for so long, James shoved his shoulder to get his attention. “Mate, you alright?” But in that action, James noticed his own left forearm. Both had noticed the new markings written in their skin._

_“Holy shit,” Sophie squealed. “Both of them!” She was practically shaking Zarina with unabashed excitement. Which is what Zarina needed to bring her out of her shocked state. As she took a moment to extract her arm from her friends grasp, both Michael and James stood up, looking at the dark haired woman in front of them._

_“Wait, you’re...” both men started in unison, only to have Zarina cut them off._

_“Nope!” she grabbed the drawing from Michael’s hand, grabbed her friend’s hand and fled the table._

_“Wait!” Both men yelled, trying to follow the two women. They managed to navigate through the crowd, following the women, but the ladies made it to the convention doors before them, and once outside, they were gone._

_It was around nine that night when Michael and James arrived at the club. James had received a text from his friend, Benedict, to join him and a group of other actors from the Con for a few drinks._

_“What’s wrong with you two?” Benedict asked._

_“We found our soulmate this afternoon,” Michael sighed._

_“Isn’t that a good thing?”_

_“It should be, but she was a fan in line for an autograph and when we all realized what had happened, she ran off,” James explained before downing more than half his beer._

_“Wait, you and Michael have the same Mate? Is that even possible?” Robert asked. He had walked up to the table with Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston while James explained with situation._

_“Apparently,” Michael said. He and James put their left forearms out so everyone could see the soulmark name._

_“Wait, I know that name,” Tom said. “She was in my line too. I remember she gave me a drawing of my character from Pirate Fairy. She has the same name as the fairy in that movie.” He reached out to take his beer from the table when Hemsworth saw his arm._

_“You didn’t mention you’d gotten yours, also,” Hemsworth said. Tom gave his friend a confused look before checking his own arm. “You didn’t know?”_

_“It wasn’t there this morning,” Tom stated, looking at his arm._

_Michael looked at Tom's arm. “What the hell!”_

_There written in delicate black ink, on three separate forearms was the same name._

_Zarina Belladonna Poe._

_“Well, you don't see that every day. No wonder the girl ran. Talk about being overwhelmed,” Evans said._

_Zarina and her friend's walked into the bar just after nine that night. Sophie had been buzzing with excitement since she and Zarina fled from the Con floor that afternoon. As soon as Jeremy and Tim got back to their shared room, Sophie told them everything. Naturally, the two were equally freaking out._

_As they walked into the club, Zarina immediately drew the attraction of two Alpha’s standing at the bar. Fortunately, the four friends managed to claim a table near the back of the room, away from the bar and the Alpha’s._

_After a couple of hours, Sophie and Zarina excused themselves to the restroom. As they were going in, Hemsworth was coming out of the men's room._

_“Zarina, what are you going to do tomorrow,” Sophie asked as she and her friend pushed open the women's room door, disappearing inside._

_Hemsworth looked around at hearing the woman's name. With a big, excited smile, he made his way back to the table where the actors were discussing the mysterious Omega and how to find her._

_“What are you grinning about, you great oaf?” Tom asked. The group had gotten used to Tom and Chris talking to each other as if they were really brothers._

_“The three of you are going to be buying my beer for the rest of the night,” he replied, smile widening._

_“Why?” James asked._

_“I just overheard a couple ladies walking into the women's. One of them is named Zarina.” Tom, James and Michael all stared at Chris._

_“She's here?” they ask in unison._

_“In the loo,” Chris pointed to the restroom doors a few tables away. Just as they all turned their attention to the doors, Sophie and Zarina came walking out._

_“That’s her!” The three exclaim._

_“Which one?” Evans asked._

_“The one with long dark hair in pigtails,” James described._

_Zarina was wearing the same black babydoll dress but she now had on fishnet stockings and matching fingerless elbow length gloves and high heel pumps. She had freshened up her makeup and re-tied her hair into low sitting pigtails._

_“Whoa, she’s cute,” Evans remarked._

_They watched as the two girls made their way around a couple of groups and settled in at a table not too far away from where they were sitting._

_“So... what are you guys gonna do?” Robert asked._

_“Go talk to her?” James suggested. But all three men looked unsure about that suggestion._

_“Or, and I’m just throwing things out there,” Robert said as he continued to watch the woman and her friends, who had all moved onto the dance floor. “You guys could go cut in.” He pointed at the new group on the dance floor._

_Zarina, Sophie, Jeremy and Tim had decided they were finally buzzed enough to dance and made their way out to the small dance floor. Jeremy and Tim made it through one full song before deciding they would rather drink than dance, so they left the two ladies to continue dancing._

_While Zarina was moving to the heavy beat of the club music, she closed her eyes to surrender herself to the music further. When she felt a hand on her elbow, her eyes snapped open and she found herself standing face to face - or rather face to chest, as he was a good foot taller than her- with Tom Hiddleston. She looked at her elbow and found Sophie’s hand tugging on it in an effort to get her attention. Zarina looked back up into the handsome, smiling face of one of her Alpha’s. Immediately, she stopped dancing, frozen in shock. Tom took the opportunity to pull the stunned woman close and start slowly dancing with her. But Zarina snapped out of her state when his hands touched her hips in an effort to bring her closer. She swatted his hands away, shaking her head and muttering, “No, no, no.” Spinning around, away from Tom and in the general direction of her table, she saw Michael and James standing at the edge of the dance floor._

_“Um...” Tom looked pointedly at Sophie, who supplied her name for the actor. “Yes, thank you, Sophie, do you mind if we borrow your friend for a little chat?” Sophie was still shocked at seeing Tom Hiddleston standing right there in front of her, so she could only nod. Tom smiled charmingly and gently nudged Zarina towards the edge of the dance floor where Michael and James were waiting. Michael and James greeted her with an excited smile before pointing out a small table in the corner away from the crowd._

_“You ran off before we had a chance to talk,” Michael said. “How did you even know I was here?” Zarina grumbled. She tried sitting herself down in a chair but Tom steered her into the chair at the back of the table, in the corner. With a huff, she sat down and crossed her around her abdomen._

_“_ _Honestly, we were already here,” James explained. “Having drinks with our mates.” He pointed to a table in the opposite corner of the club. Zarina was a bit startled to see so many actors hanging out and being normal. “We just happen to notice you and your friends on the dance floor.”_

_“Of course,” Zarina muttered. “This day just keeps getting worse.”_

_“Why? You have no idea how excited we are to finally meet you!” Tom smiled as he, Michael and James sat down._

_“Why did you run off like that today?” James asked. He was sitting to her right, Michael to her left and Tom directly opposite._ _“What happened today?”_

_“Why didn’t you say something?” Tom asked. Zarina looked from Tom’s face, to James’s face to Michael’s face. They were all looking at her, expectantly._

_Looking down at her hands, which were now playing with the hem of her dress. “I have three soulmarks. Three. I spent the last twelve years actively avoiding putting myself in a situation where someone was going to say those stupid words. I never even considered I’d hear them at ComicCon. That three famous actors would be the ones to say them. Yeah, I freaked.” She glanced up see all three men staring at her, only to immediately cover her face with both hands. “Still freaking.”_

 


	3. Reasons and Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we get to see a bit of Zarina's past, giving some insight as to why she is so reluctant to be Their Soulmate.

The next morning, Michael and James entered the room and found Zarina already awake, pacing the length of the room, restlessly. Zarina noticed James shut the door behind him, but he didn't use the key to lock it like he had last night.

“How are you feeling this morning, Morsel?”

Michael noticed Zarina had washed up, brushed out her longer-than-waist length hair and changed her clothes.

“I see you found your belongs well enough,” Michael commented.

“Some things are missing,” Zarina grumbled.

“Tom said he put all your stuff where it belongs. All your toiletries should be in the bathroom. Your clothes should be in the wardrobe,” James started, pointing to the simple cupboard standing against the wall. But Zarina angrily cut him off.

“My stuff doesn't belong here any more than I do,” she snapped. “And my wallet, passport, phone and laptop are missing. Give them back!”

Michael, who had been sitting on the rocking chair stared hard at his little mate. “You need to calm down, Morsel.”

“And who the hell decided it would be OK to drug me, again?” she snapped. “Seriously? You’ve already got me locked up in here. What does drugging me accomplish?”

Michael and James both looked her over, then looked at each other.

“Why would you think we drugged you?” James asked, careful not to confirm her suspicions.

Zarina let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ve been on some form of prescription muscle relaxer or pain med since I was thirteen. I know the effects of a sedative. And since I didn’t bring any of mine with me on this trip, I can pretty much assume you guys put it in my food last night.”

“Why have you been taking that kind of medication for so long, Baby Doll?”

Zarina shot James a venomous glare. “That’s not the point.”

“It’s your back, isn’t it?” Michael asked. In the short amount of time he’d spent around Zarina, Michael had noticed her massaging her lower back often, or hear her mention it bothering her. Zarina’s glare shot over to Michael, but she didn’t say anything. “What happened to you? What kind of medications are you on?”

Zarina recognized the look Michael was giving her. He wasn’t going to give up until she told him and he’d get creative and obnoxious in trying to find out. Then it occurred to her, if she revealed her illness, maybe it would dissuade them from wanting to keep her as their Omega.

She sighed angrily and plopped down on the bed. “I suffer from chronic pain, stemming from nerve and muscle damage. I was born with scoliosis and had spinal fusion surgery when I was ten. I have a ten inch rod fused to the lumbar area of my spine.” She absolutely hated talking about her disability and couldn’t bring herself to look at either man. “Currently, I take amitriptyline once a day for nerve pain management. I have a prescription of tizanidine for muscle spasms and a prescription of hydrocodone for pain flares. I hurt all the time. I get migraines out of nowhere with no trigger. Changes in weather can screw up my whole week. I spend all day feeling tired and all night unable to sleep. Some days, good days, I’m fine. I can function normal, do things any other human beings can do- shower, dress, drive to work, work, make meals, do chores and be social. On bad days, well, I can’t do any of that. On bad days, I’m lucky if I can manage to get out of bed. And bad days last a lot longer than good days. I can barely manage to take care of myself on a good day. My bad days... I can’t function.” She looked up at the men, who had both come to stand in front of her. The expressions on their faces were a combination of sympathy, empathy and pity. “And you want me to be your mate? I can’t be anyone’s mate. Please, you guys have to see this is just a really bad fluke of the universe, right? I’m not a good match for any of you. Way too high maintenance, both emotionally and physically. I’d be nothing but a burden. I know you think my actions against being an Omega, against being your mate are selfish, but I’m doing it for you. You could not possibly be happy with me as your mate.” Zarina’s green eyes welled with tears, but she refused to shed them.

Before anyone could say anything else, Tom walked in with a food tray. Immediately upon entering the room, he could feel the tension in the air. He cautiously set the tray on the table, looking from face to face.

“What did I miss?”

Michael just shook his head, hoping to placate Tom’s curiosity, for a while. Tom just shrugged and took the lid off the plate. He recognized that something had happened. The tension was almost palpable. Michael looked as if he had just been hit in the stomach and he was trying not to fight back. James looked as if he’d just heard the most devastating news and was trying to hold his composure. And Zarina was in tears, with pleading eyes and a defensive posture.

“I made breakfast for you, Pixie.”

Zarina looked over the plate of food, skeptically, voice wobbly from trying not to cry. “Is it drugged, too?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back if her hand.

Tom looked at James and Michael in surprise. They both frowned and shook their heads.

“I promise the food is not drugged, Morsel,” Michael said. He gestured for Tom and James to leave the room with him. “Please eat.”

Michael left the room, behind Tom and James, and walked up the basement stairs to the kitchen. As soon as they were all upstairs, Michael scrubbed his face with his hands and sat at the kitchen table.

“What happened?” Tom asked, knowing he had missed something.

“She knew we drugged her last night,” James explained. He sat himself down next to Michael at the table.

“How? She’s not an addict, is she?” Tom asked. He was pretty sure she wasn’t an addict, but he couldn’t think of another way for her to have known they had drugged her food.

“No. No, nothing like that,” James started. Then he and Michael started explaining what Zarina had told them.

By the end of the explanation, Tom was sitting next to James at the table.

“Well, at least now we have an idea of why she is being so stubborn against being our mate,” Tom suggested. “So what do we do?”

“I have no idea,” Michael sighed. “Keep trying to convince her we want her as our Omega, I guess. I mean, she doesn’t really get a back-out choice. Our names are written on her arm, her name on ours. By the laws of the Garou, she’s our Omega, we are her Alpha’s. She technically can’t say no. We just have to try and make her comfortable. At least until after her first heat.”

“True,” James agreed. “Hopefully, her first heat hits soon so we can move on from this.”

The three continued discussing what to do with the rest of the day. They knew they’d have to spend as much time with Zarina as they could, in the hopes of inducing her heat. Shortly after returning to London, after their last failed attempt at bringing their little Omega back with them, they realized they’d have to be a bit more diabolical and creative. They knew once she’d come into her first heat, and they were able to claim her fully as her Alpha’s, she’d be more swayed by them. Her instincts would drive her more than her stubbornness. She would feel a strong desire and need to be with her Alpha’s, once she’d been properly claimed and marked. But that couldn’t happen until she experienced her first heat. And she wouldn’t experience her first heat until she’s spent a fair amount of time surround by her Alpha’s scent. Which she actively avoided when the three had traveled to the States two separate times in their attempts to persuade Zarina to go back to London with them. Upon returning the last time, they devised a plan to keep their Omega close and safe. Both Michael and James lived in modest flats that were not conducive to hosting their girl for an undetermined amount of time. Tom, however, owned a decent sized house. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full sized, finished basement. The three men contracted out to have part of the basement renovated into a cozy little apartment, complete with a small kitchenette and full bathroom. The door at the bottom of the stairs had two very secure deadbolts, locked from the outside. There were no windows. The kitchenette had a mini-fridge, microwave, sink and a small amount of counter top. The bathroom had a small single sink vanity, a mirror attached to the wall, a toilet and a shower stall. The room had the daybed, a two-seater love seat, rocking chair, coffee table, wardrobe cupboard and a TV with cable and Netflix mounted to the wall. It took them just under a month to have the room ready. In that time, they went about their routines and obligations. It had not become common, public knowledge that the three famous actors had found their soulmate, nor was it known that they’d been rejected by their Omega. Only close friends and their publicists knew. Tom had Luke keep an eye on her social media presence, hoping to find a chance to meet with her again. Three days after the basement room was finished, Luke called Tom to let him know Zarina had posted to her Twitter account. “So excited to be vacationing in Europe! London, here I come!” Tom told Michael and James right away. It was the perfect time to ensnare their Omega. They monitored her social media accounts, personally, waiting for some status update about her flying to London. A week after Luke showed him the first post, James saw her status update that she was “Finally leaving Madison! Be in London in less than 24 hours! Sophie, put the champagne on ice!” Not only was she en route, but she was traveling alone, meeting her friend once she got to London. It was perfect.

Michael had been the first to suggest they “find a way of keeping her with them” until after her first heat. But Tom was the one to recognize that if she went missing for any length of time, people would look for her. And once she was nonresistant to being their Omega, they’d want to be out with her. To show her off. To have her on their arms for all the red carpet events and galas they went to. So they very well couldn’t abduct her for a length of time and then suddenly show up with her. They had to concoct a plan.

“We should get back down there,” James suggested. “I have a feeling she may not be eating.”

“You’re probably right,” Tom agreed with a sigh.

 

~~~~~~

 

“I promise the food is not drugged, Morsel,” Michael told her. She watched him flick his wrist and tilt his head toward the door, indicating Tom and James should leave. “Please eat.” He didn’t even look at her as he left the room after the other two.

Hurrying over to the door, she waited to hear the tell tale sound of a lock being turned and a bolt sliding into place. But she never heard anything. Waiting until she’d counted to thirty, Zarina then tried the doorknob. It turned, but that wasn’t too surprising. She assumed the door was locked via deadbolt, not just a knob lock. But when she pulled on the door and it swung freely open, she was startled. Trying to keep her breathing calm, Zarina peeked out the door, expecting to see the three standing right next to it. But instead she found an empty stair landing. She looked up the stairs and saw a light in what she assumed was the kitchen and heard Michael and James talking with Tom. Looking around the small landing area, Zarina noticed the door to the room her captors were keeping her in looked just like the rest of the wall. Floor to ceiling, vertical wood paneling. It was seamlessly disguised at just part of the wall, when it was closed. And it looked as if the lock was disguised as an old-fashioned knob light switch. She turned it, just to see, and saw four very sturdy looking lock-bolts come out of the wall, each about a foot a part. On the inside of the door were four deep holes for the bolts to slide into. It was a solid, six inch door, too. Not something she could easily break down or through if she needed to. Continuing her examination of the landing area, she saw another door, directly opposite the stairs, adjacent to her room. Hesitantly, she turned the knob for that door, finding it open as well. Inside was another room, much the same size as the one she had been kept in. Only it wasn’t finished, holding the furnace, water heater, washer and dryer. Utility room. Using a small wooden knot in the paneling of the door, Zarina quietly closed the door and snuck into the other room. She kept the door open a crack, just enough to see the stairs.

It wasn’t long after that she saw James, Tom and Michael make their way down the stairs. The landing area was not big enough for the three men to stand there, so Tom was waiting on the last step for Michael to open the door.

“I thought I locked this door when we left,” Michael mumbled. He cautiously pushed open the door and walked into the room. Zarina watched James follow him, but stop less than a foot inside the door. Tom left the stairs and walked up behind James. She could hear Michael call out for her. She knew she had to make a move. She shoved open the door as hard and far as she could, sending it into Tom’s back, which caught him by surprise and sent him falling forward, into James. Zarina saw Tom and James fall into a heap on the floor just inside the other room as she sprinted up the stairs.

“Zarina!” she heard Michael roar.

Once upstairs in the kitchen, Zarina took a moment to look around. If she could just find a way out of this house, she could get out of this mess.There were three doors in the kitchen, one of them had to lead out of this house. She ran to the closest one, pulled it open and found the broom closet. The next one lead to a pantry. She ran over to the third and final door when she heard the pounding of shoes coming up behind her from the stairs. Before she had the chance to unlock and open the door, a hand shot out and wrapped around Zarina’s wrist. Zarina tried to rip her arm free from the offending grip, but was spun around and pushed up against the wall next to the door. Towering over her, pinning both wrists against the wall next to her head, was Tom. And his Loki was showing. Zarina’s heart stopped when she saw James and Michael behind Tom, looking just as angry. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in and Zarina immediately started struggling to get out of Tom’s iron grip. But Tom was unrelenting in his hold on her.

“Zarina, stop!” Michael snapped in the same stern tone he’d used on her the night before. He had moved to stand on Tom’s left. Something in that tone, and the look in Michael’s eyes flipped a switch in Zarina’s brain and she immediately stopped moving. Tom’s hold on her wrists remained tight and unmovable. James came to stand next to Michael, so Zarina could look at both of them. “This was a bad move, Morsel.”

And just like that she was back in the locked room, sitting on the daybed, avoiding James’s gaze. It had taken both Tom and Michael to get Zarina back into the basement room. At first, they were all so angry, they left her alone in the room, after ensuring the door was locked. An hour later, James returned with a tea tray and sandwiches. Zarina had spent the hour pounding on the door, screaming to be let out.

Zarina heard the tell tale sound of metal against metal as the deadbolts pulled out of the door. Taking a few steps back so she wouldn’t get hit by the door, Zarina waited for her Alpha’s to enter. James entered the room with the tea tray balanced in one hand so he could open, shut and lock the door with the other.

“I brought some tea and sandwiches, Baby Doll,” he said as he set the tray on the table. Zarina had retreated back to the daybed, awaiting whatever James might do. But when he started pouring two cups of tea, with no show of anger or aggression against her earlier actions, she found herself feeling confused.

“Where are the other two?” she asked, quietly, refusing to accept the cup James tried to hand her.

“Tom went grocery shopping and Michael had a meeting with his manager and PR rep.,” James explained. “It’s probably a good thing, too. They were rather unhappy with you, Baby Doll.” He took a sip of his tea before making himself comfortable on the loveseat. “That stunt you pulled was really dangerous and stupid. An unclaimed Omega days away from her first heat, in London, alone? You’d have gotten picked off the street in minutes and taken to a place far worse than this.” Another sip. “What were you thinking?”

Zarina looked James over before answering. She wasn’t sure why she answered him. While she spent that hour banging on the door, she swore to herself she’d never speak to Tom, James or Michael again. But she felt such a strong urge to answer James. And to be honest about it. She bit her lip before answering. “I was thinking, if I could just get to the hotel and find Sophie, I could get out of this whole nightmare.”

“Baby Doll,” James started. His voice was laced with a hints of hurt and disappointment. His eyes were searching her face for something as he spoke. “Haven't we been treating you well? Why are you so insistent on running from us? We love you, we just want to be with you. I know you want to be our good girl.”

James watched as a small, internal war raged in Zarina’s mind. He had recognized the signs before, little things here and there, from the start. She was struggling between being justifiably angry and upset about her Alpha’s being angry with her. Her underlying need to please them, submit to them and obey them was clashing with her anger against being an Omega and her distrust of her Alpha’s. When he stated that she wanted to be their good girl, he saw something flash in her eyes.

Zarina’s internal struggle was causing her to get a headache. Rubbing her forehead, she finally looked away from James. “What are you doing to me?” she mumbled to herself.

“What was that, Baby Doll?” But James had caught her query. She was confused about her feelings. Scared, even. James realized she was actually frightened by her desire to be with them, to be their mate. Curiosity got the better of him. “Baby Doll, I’m going to ask you a question, maybe a couple, and I want you to be completely honest with me, ya? I’m not going to be upset with you, or get jealous. I just think your answers will help me understand something. Okay?”

Zarina nodded, cautiously. “Okay.”

James’s first question was about her previous relationships. After she explained she’d only had two boyfriends, and neither relationship lasted longer than a couple months, and both ended very badly, James asked her about her family. He learned a lot of saddening information in that hour long conversation. And even though she was guarded and sometimes reluctant to answer his questions, James now had what he needed to understand his little Omega.

James received a text just before dinner time from Tom. He was back and wanted help bringing in the groceries.

“We’ll be back with dinner, soon. Until then, be a good girl.” He kissed her cheek before leaving. As he made sure to lock the door behind him, he heard Michael walk in the front door.

“Did you just get back, too?” Michael asked Tom.

Tom nodded as he brought in the last of the canvas bags from his car in the garage. “Luke called me and I had to stop by the office before coming home.”

James noticed Tom was tense and agitated. Both Michael and James helped Tom put away the groceries.

“Luke called because the police contacted him earlier today. Sophie has reported Zarina missing. Sophie apparently mentioned the three of us as her Alpha’s, which is why the police reached out to him. He told them he’d talk to me and get back to them.”

“Do they suspect anything?” James asked.

“No. They wanted to know if we’d heard from her. I told Luke we hadn’t. I asked if he could put me in touch with Sophie so I can find out what happened.”

“So everything is going as planned. That's good.” James wasn’t completely sold on the plan, but the more time spent with Zarina, the more willing he was to make it work. “I had a talk with her, while you lot were out. Found out some more about her. Our mate has some serious history.”

As they listened, Tom and Michael started helping James male dinner.

“She’s only had two significant boyfriends, and they didn’t last and they broke up with her for being a burden, for being high maintenance and being, get this, too needy. But it doesn't stop with just the guys. After her parents and sister died in a car crash when she was fifteen she went to live with her aunt and uncle. These two couldn’t handle her neediness, finding her to be a burden and kicked her out as soon as she turned eighteen. She’s been living alone, hoping from one job to the next, from flat to another for the last eight years because no one could cope with her disability. Now, these are her words. These people used these specific words, burden, high maintenance, needy, to describe her, to her face. Did you know, she’s still a virgin.” That declaration startled Tom and Michael. “Yeah. Apparently, she and boyfriend number one were in the beginning throes of foreplay when she took her dress off and he freaked out. She told me she has a scar from her fusion surgery that wraps around her left side from navel to just under her left shoulder blade. He called her a monster, started on about having put up with her problems for however long they’d been together just to be saddled with her looking like that. Those were his words as best she could recall. Between that rejection and her chronic pain, she is terrified to have sex.” He paused so Tom and Michael could digest everything he’d thrown at them. “Guys, she has been mentally and emotionally abused because of her chronic, invisible illness for so long she has become convinced no one, not even her soulmates, her Alpha’s, can love her. She’s convinced she’d be some soul-sucking, life-draining burden on everyone. And when she found out her mates were us, well, she basically stated she won't be the one to ruin us. She can't do that to us, our careers and our reputations.”

“Fuck,” Michael stated simply, after scrubbing his face with his hands.

Tom had to wipe tears from his cheeks. Though they needed this information, it was heartbreaking to hear.

“We have to figure out how to fix her perception of this,” Tom finally said.

“I think we need to give her some peace, tonight. She gave us a lot of insight at great emotional expense,” James said. “We should eat dinner with her, but then maybe only one of us should stay with her until she falls asleep. So we don’t continue to overwhelm her.”

“Good idea.” 


	4. Chapter Four: Highjacked Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to the second day of the Con and how the Alpha's highjack it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there was no Assassin’s Creed Panel at SDCC 2016, however, it works for my story to have Fassy be in the panel. Hopefully, you lovely readers will be willing to work with me on this.

*Flashback to the second day of SDCC 2016*

_ “So, are you going to see them today?” Sophie asked Zarina as they were getting ready for the Con. Zarina had brushed out her longer-than-waist length mahogany hair and left it down. She was wearing a Supernatural themed T-shirt, a black skirt and a pair of Supernatural themed leggings. Around her neck she wore an anti-possession necklace, around each wrist a couple bangles and bracelets, and in four of her six earring holes, she wore various Supernatural themed dangles and hoops. She stood in front of the mirror with Sophie as they did their make up for the day, Zarina favoring a smoky look in colors that highlighted her pale green eyes. _

_ “God no. And I’m hoping the fact that I slipped out while they were occupied last night gives them the hint,” Zarina answered. She had sat at the table with Tom, Michael and James for half an hour before Tom mentioned getting their drinks from the table they’d been sharing with the other actors. Michael excused himself to the restroom, and James offered to get Zarina a fresh drink from the bar. They each asked her to promise to stay at the table and wait for them to get back. Of course, she broke that promise almost immediately. As soon as James’s back was turned, and Tom found himself engaged in a conversation with Robert and Hemsworth, Zarina snuck out of the club and walked back to the hotel.  _

_ “How do you plan on avoiding them today? I mean, they are going to be at the Con,” Sophie asked. _

_ “Yeah, working. I checked the schedule for today. Tom has the Skull Island panel and then a photobooth for the better part of the afternoon. James will be doing his own photo booth this afternoon. And Michael has the Assassin’s Creed panel followed by his own photobooth session. They are going to be kept way too busy to come looking for me. And I have the Supernatural panel, followed by their autographs, and then I’m going to the cosplay event to cheer on Jer and Tim. Then I’m coming right back here before we go to dinner.” _

_ “Why are you avoiding them? Really? God, what I wouldn’t give to be in your position. What ninety percent of the internet wouldn’t give! Tom Fucking Hiddleston! Michael Goddamn Fassbender! And James McSexy-boy! I mean, can’t you just give them like, four nights? Find out if all those internet rumors of what their packing are true.” _

_ “Wait,” Zarina interrupted her best friend. She set down her mascara wand and looked at the blonde standing next to her. “You said four nights. There are three Alpha’s.” _

_ “Well, yeah. One night for each guy, and the fourth for a hot foursome!” Sophie swayed her hips suggestively and giggled like a schoolgirl.  _

_ “Oh my God, we are so ending this conversation, you freak!” Zarina threw her washcloth at her friend. “Now shut up and let me finish getting ready. I will not be late for this panel!” _

_ An hour later, Jeremy, Tim, Sophie and Zarina made their way down to the Con floor. Jeremy and Tim had a cosplay event they were signed up for, so they split off from the ladies as soon as they were inside the doors. Sophie and Zarina made plans to meet up later and each went her own way. There was an hour before the Supernatural Panel, so Zarina looked around some of the vendors, making notes of purchases she’d make before leaving. As she was looking through some books, she felt the presence of someone suddenly standing right beside her. Looking up, Zarina found three unfamiliar men looking at her, expectantly. _

_ “Um, can I help you?” she asked, eyeing each man suspiciously. _

_ “Are you Zarina Poe?” one asked. _

_ “Who wants to know?” _

_ “I’m Luke, I work with Mr. Hiddleston, he’s asked that I bring you to the Skull Island panel.”  _

_ “And I’m Kevin, I work with Mr. McAvoy. He’s asked that you join him in the Green Room before his photo booth session,” said the second man.  _

_ “I'm Robbie, Mr. Fassbender has requested you join him backstage before his panel.” _

_ With a deep sigh, Zarina rubbed her head. She gave her best apologetic smile and addressed the three men. “I appreciate the requests, and please let each man know that. But I am disinclined to acquiesce their requests. I have a panel of my own to go to, followed by acquiring two autographs I have been looking forward to for a very long time. This panel is the whole reason I’m here, and I won’t miss it for anything. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Zarina gently pushed her way past the three publicists and began walking towards the various Panel Halls. Before she was completely engulfed by the growing crowd around her, she turned to address the men one last time. “Also, you may try to convince them to work out their request schedules ahead of time. Honestly, even if I did want to accept their invitations, it never would have worked.” _

_ And she vanished into the Hall hosting the Supernatural Panel.  _

_ ~~~~~~~ _

_ “You asked Kevin to find her?” Tom asked, accusingly. _

_ “What? You sent your own bloodhound out after her,” James shot back. _

_ “I can’t believe you guys,” Michael mocked. _

_ “Like you’re any better,” Tom scoffed. _

_ “Gentleman, if I may suggest a solution,” Luke chimed in before the three started having an all out verbal sparring match. Luke waited to get everyone’s attention before continuing. “She went to the Supernatural Panel. It is scheduled to last an hour, having started at eleven. The cast and producers will then adjourn to the Green Room for half an hour before their autograph session starts. Tom, your Skull Island panel starts in that same Hall at one, with a photo booth session following that. Michael, your Assassin’s Creed panel is in another Hall starting at two. James, you are scheduled for your photo booth session starting at one as well. So, if you are all so inclined to spend time with this girl, perhaps there is a way to fit her in to each of your schedules. Instead of having her spend an hour or so waiting in line for the autographs, I will find her after the panel and bring her to the Green Room, where the three of you introduce her to whomever it is she wants autographs from. When they leave for their session, Tom, you take the girl with you to your panel. Robbie will collect her at the end and bring her to you, Michael at the AC panel. When that is over, you, James, are scheduled for a late lunch break from your photo session, and can take her out to eat. How does that sound?” _

_ The three contemplated the arrangement, shared a few looks then regarded the professional in front of them.  _

_ “That all sounds fine, Luke,” Tom acknowledged. “Just one thing.” _

_ “What’s that?” _

_ “Her name is Zarina, not ‘girl’.”  _

_ Luke just nodded. Of all the Alpha’s at ComicCon to find their Soulmate  _ at  _ the Con, it had to be three of the most dominant ones. Luke almost felt sorry for the little Omega girl. There was no way she was going to get out of spending the day with these three, despite the fact she clearly wished for nothing less. Part of him wanted to address their behavior towards the woman, and any man who might have the guts to speak to her in their presence. Luke knew Tom, Michael and James pretty well. He worked with Tom, mostly, but has taken on the other two for the odd job now and then. He was quite aware the three had very commanding, controlling personalities, and that was before their Soulmarks appeared. It was common knowledge among the Garou society, and those close to it, that Alpha’s become exceedingly more protective and possessive of their Omega, once found. There were very few who knew Michael, Tom and James were Garou, but everyone who were considered close friends and colleagues knew they were Doms in their personal lives, each with his own interest. With all of that in mind, Luke weighed the need to confront them on their behavior for the day. _

_ “Guys, I understand you are, all of you, excited about finally meeting your Omega. And maybe a little irritated that you all share one. I mean, it’s rather odd, isn’t it. But you’re going to have to stay calm and in control of your predisposition to be possessive. She’s going to talk to the guys from Supernatural, and you have to be OK with that. Understand?” His tone was clear and gave no room to argue. These three may be Garou Alpha’s but they were still professionals, and he knew how to work with that. _

_ “Of course,” Michael said. Of the three, Michael was the one who worried Luke the most. James, the least. He was a Dom, but such a teddy bear. Michael had a reputation for being very controlling and assertive with his rules. Tom landed somewhere in the middle. He tended to be rather possessive and authoritative. There was a reason Michael and Tom excelled at playing the villain. Luke could only hope they would be able to keep their Alpha personalities in check for the day.  _

_ “Right. I’ll go wait for Zarina and find you lot in the Green Room when I find her,” Luke said by way of ending the discussion. _

_ ~~~~~~ _

_ Zarina was quietly singing to herself when she walked out of the Supernatural panel. It had been everything she’d hoped for, and more. And now, Carry On My Wayward Son was stuck in her head. With good reason. She was in such a state of excitement, she didn’t notice someone calling her name. It wasn’t until that same someone grabbed her by the arm she noticed she’d walked right past a familiar face. _

_ “Zarina,” Luke started with a smile. “We conveyed your message to Tom, James and Michael, and they have rearranged their invitations. I’ve been asked to bring you to the Green Room.” _

_ Zarina gave the publicist a hard look before shaking her head. “No. I can’t I have to get in line. Thanks, though.” _

_ “The guys have arranged for you to meet the Supernatural Cast in the Green Room, so you don’t have to waste time standing in line.” _

_ “What? Why?” _

_ Luke didn’t bother explaining any further. He held out his hand, but when she didn’t accept it right away, he gave her his best Professional smile. “Please, Miss Zarina. They are expecting you, and I will get in a lot of trouble if you aren’t with me when I meet them back there.” If what the men had told him about her being kind-hearted and compassionate were true, he knew she couldn’t let him get in trouble for her stubbornness.  _

_ And he was right. Reluctantly, Zarina accepted Luke’s hand and followed him through the clamouring crowd through a door labeled Restricted Access. Luke had to show his badge to a man standing outside the door before they were allowed in. They walked down a short corridor to another door, which Luke held open for Zarina. Inside, Luke guided Zarina through a small maze of actors, producers and publicists to the back of the room where Tom, James and Michael were talking with Mark Sheppard, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins. _

_ Meeting the cast from Supernatural, however awkward it might have been at first, was everything Zarina had hoped. It took her a few minutes to get used to James, Michael and Tom standing right next to her as she tried very hard not to gush all over J2, but once she started talking with the actors, all concerns for her three Alpha’s flew right out of her mind. Jared and Jensen were very gracious in accepting the drawings she had made for them, and beyond thrilled to sign her copies. When the cast of the TV show were called to start their autograph session, Zarina was buzzing with excitement. But it was soon forgotten when Tom brought her attention back to the Alpha’s. _

_ “Thank you, that was very exciting to meet them like that,” Zarina said with a shy smile. She couldn’t help it. Something about being around Tom Hiddleston, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender made her extremely nervous and anxious. Her stomach felt like someone had tied it into a dozen knots, while simultaneously trying to pull it down into her feet. And her heart couldn’t seem to decide on an appropriate pace. One second it felt as if it was going to stop all together, the next it was hammering against her chest in a desperate attempt to flee. She had no idea what to do, what to talk about or who to look at. So she kept her head down, eyes on the floor with her teeth chewing her bottom lip relentlessly.  _

_ “Tom, you need to get to your panel,” Luke said, appearing, seemingly, out of nowhere. Zarina jumped when she heard him. “Sorry, Miss. Didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve had the stagehand set up an extra chair off stage for you.” _

_ “You’re coming to the panel with me,” Tom informed Zarina when he saw the confused glare she shot at Luke. _

_ “Um,” she started, but was cut off by Michael. _

_ “After Tom’s panel, Robbie will collect you and bring you to the Assassin’s Creed panel.” _

_ “And then I’ll take you to lunch!” James piped up.  _

_ Tom didn’t wait for a response, as Luke was badgering him to leave. He grabbed Zarina’s hand and pulled her from the Green Room. James and Michael followed after them, having their own places to be. Each man ignoring Zarina’s protests. Zarina tried to break free from Tom’s grip, but it was solid. Everytime she tried to stop and refuse to move, he’d just look back at her, smile and tug on her hand, forcing her to move or lose her balance. She was starting to feel like a misbehaving toddler whose parent had all the patients in the world by the time they arrived backstage in the Hall for the Kong: Skull Island panel.  _

_ “Tom, there you are,” a man with an incredible black beard said when he saw Tom make his way around the backstage. “And who is this?” he asked when he saw Zarina following behind Tom. _

_ “Jordan, sorry I’m late. I was with Zarina, here,” Tom explained, patting Zarina’s hand. _

_ “Tom, it’s good to see you again,” John Goodman said. Zarina could only stare. “Who’s your friend?” _

_ “This is Zarina Poe!” Tom introduced enthusiastically. He opened his mouth to continue his introductions, but was cut off as the panel started. Tom happily lead Zarina over to a set of chairs where Luke had already sat down. “I’ll be right over there, ya?” He pointed to the stage, showing Zarina she’d have line of sight on him from her seat. Which also meant he’d be able to see her whenever he looked over. He smiled at her again, before bending down and kissing her forehead. The affectionate gesture took Zarina by surprise and she could only plop down on the chair next to Luke, mouth open and eyes wide.  _

_ The panel was going very well, it was clear the cast and director were having fun. About halfway through, Brie Larson was talking quietly to Tom off mic. Tom’s smile widened and he nodded gleefully. Zarina saw Tom point, surreptitiously, to where she was sitting at the side of the stage. Brie gasped, covered her mouth with her hands and was clearly fighting the urge to giggle with giddy glee. Zarina rolled her eyes. Great, now people were going to start noticing the Alpha’s have received their marks. This was the last thing Zarina wanted. _

_ The panel ended with great applause and the hall emptied as the five actors, the director and the commentator made their way backstage. Tom was clearly riding an adulation high as he came up on Zarina and scooped her into a hug. Stunned, she could only stand, rigidly, in his embrace. When he pulled away, unaffected by her lack of enthusiasm, everyone congratulated him on finding his Soulmate. _

_ Not long after, as Tom was talking with the others, and Zarina was focusing on not hyperventilating, Robbie appeared. _

_ “Hi Mr. Hiddleston,” he said as a way to break into Tom’s conversation. _

_ “Oh, is it that time already?” Tom asked, a little annoyed. He turned to Zarina. “Can I get your mobile number, Pixie? I’d like to call you later and arrange dinner.”  _

_ “Um...” Zarina hesitated for just a second before rattling off her phone number. Tom saved it to his own mobile phone before calling it up so Zarina would have his number. He hugged her again and kissed her cheek.  _

_ “I’ll see you tonight, ya?” Zarina could only nod.  _

_ Robbie took her by the elbow and swiftly lead her from one backstage area to another where she was met by Michael, who immediately beamed at seeing her. _

_ “It just started,” he whispered. “I’ll see you after!” He gave her a quick hug, a chaste peck on the cheek and left her to sit next to Robbie off to the side of the stage.  _

_ Zarina was beginning to feel like she was caught in some weird out of body experience. She wasn’t completely sure what was happening, or why she hadn’t run away yet, but she knew she felt out of place. She watched Michael interact with his castmates and audience, and when it was over, much like Tom had done, Michael rushed over to her, scooped her up and hugged her close. And much like Tom, he didn’t notice her lack of response. As soon as he released her, he was bombarded with questions from the rest of his castmates regarding the mysterious young woman. Michael was more than happy to reveal she was his Soulmate, which brought on more congratulations and inquiries. As Michael and Jeremy Irons were talking, Kevin appeared to retrieve Zarina for James.  _

_ “Oh, one minute, mate.” Michael reached into his pocket and drew out his mobile phone. “Morsel, give me your number so I can call you later and we can meet for dinner.” Not completely comprehending what he’d just said, Zarina automatically rattled off her number, again. And again, her own phone buzzed with a text message from Michael. He smiled happily, bent down, kissed her cheek again and bid her ado. _

_ Kevin lead Zarina out of the hall, through the bustle of people clamouring for this and that from various vendors. He took her by the arm and went to the lobby of the convention center where James was waiting. James smiled widely when he saw Zarina and stepped up to greet her.  _

_ “Hi, Baby Doll, I was thinking about taking you out for lunch,” he said. _

_ “Oh, um...”  _

_ “Zarina! Zarina!”  _

_ Zarina and James turned towards the convention area to see an Orc and a Tiefling come running over to them. Only, the Tiefling’s horns were in his gloved hands.  _

_ “Tim, what happened?” Zarina asked her costumed friend.  _

_ “The horns fell off in the elevator.”  _

_ “Were you and Jer messing with them?” she asked, looking at the head piece still on Tim’s head. He looked over at Jeremy, then down at the ground, nodding his head. “Ugh! I told you guys not to mess with the horns! What time are you supposed to be on stage?” _

_ “Twenty minutes. Can you fix it?” Tim whined.  _

_ “Yes, but I can’t do it here,” Zarina sighed. She looked over at James sheepishly “I’m really sorry, but I made these costumes for them, I need to fix this before they can go on stage for the cosplay contest. I’m not going to be able to go to lunch right now.” _

_ Though James looked a little upset about the change of plans, he recovered quickly. “That’s alright, Baby Doll. We can make arrangements for dinner, instead.” He asked for Zarina’s phone number, kissed her cheek and left her to tend to her friends costuming dilemma. _

_ ~~~~~~~~ _

_ It was four o’clock when Zarina’s cell phone rang out. She had been sitting on the bed she shared with her friend, listening to Sophie talk about her adventures of the day. Looking at the screen before answering, she saw the name Michael Fassbender. With a sigh, she swiped the screen to answer, giving her friend an apologetic look before talking.  _

_ “Hello?” _

_ “Good evening, Morsel,” Michael said charmingly. “How was the rest of your day?” _

_ “Oh, um, it was fine, thank you.” _

_ “Glad to hear it. I was just talking with Tom and James and the three of us would like to take you out to dinner tonight. We’ll pick you up at six-thirty from your hotel. We’ve made reservations for seven.” There was a pause and Zarina could hear someone talking in the background. “We need to know which hotel you’re staying at, Morsel.” _

_ “Oh, um...” she hesitated and looked at Sophie who was beaming with excitement. “I’m in room 321 at the Courtyard Marriott on Sixth Ave.” Zarina heard Michael tell someone the hotel and room before she continued. “Just out of curiosity, you know, so I know what to wear, where are we going?” _

_ There was more talking, she was sure she could hear Tom tell Michael they wanted to keep it a surprise. “If you have something like a cocktail dress, or anything elegant, that would be perfect. We’ll be at your door at six-thirty. See you then, Morsel!” And with that, Michael hung up.  _

_ “Oh my Gods! You are going on a date with all three of them!” Sophie squealed when Zarina put down her phone.  _

_ “I didn’t bring a cocktail dress, or really anything elegant. I have the one dress I wore yesterday,” Zarina explained. “I should call them back and tell them it’s not going to work.” _

_ “Don’t you dare!” Sophie cried. She grabbed the phone from her friend and stuck it in her pants pocket. “We will find you something to wear, you are not flaking on this date! Come on, we have a little over an hour to find you something.” _

_ Sophie grabbed her purse, threw Zarina’s purse at her and gestured for Zarina to follow her out of the room. Just as the two got to the elevators, they ran into Jeremy and Tim exiting the elevators. In a frenzy of excitement, Sophie explained what they were setting out to do, to which Jeremy and Tim both clapped their hands and offered their fashion help. They four friends took a taxi to the Westfield Horton Shopping Plaza, where they found several dress shops. After nearly an hour going from places like Forever 21, Express, and all other trendy retailers, Zarina finally convinced her friends to let her check out Hot Topic.  _

_ “Guys, I’m already freaking out about this date, and you know how I hate to dress up like this. So if I have to do this, then I really want to wear something I’ll feel comfortable in. Plus, this way, I’m more likely to wear it again,” Zarina argued when they told her to grow up and pick a dress from somewhere else. When they finally conceded, Zarina managed to find three different dresses she liked, and that looked relatively attractive on her. The first was a navy blue fit and flare ball-gown styled dress with wide straps and a sweetheart neckline. Black piping adorned the bodice, a fitted, black lace-up waist lead down into a full circle skirt with black flocked skull and roses velvet print at the hem. The next was a beautiful sing halter dress with a gathered sweetheart neckline, purple and lavender and raven bird print and a black lace bodice panel with front lace-up corset detail. The last dress she tried on had a fitted purple bodice, accented with a black fold-over collar that continued out to cold shoulder straps from the sweetheart neckline and was topped off with black straps. Princess seams hugged her silhouette comfortably, along with the faux leather waist cincher with functional lace-up back detail. A black vice flocked chiffon hi-low hem skirt flowed from the waist and featured delicately embroidered dragons, crows and roses. The final touches were a black netting overlay and purple lining. _

_ When she came out of the dressing room wearing the third dress, Zarina looked to her friends for their opinions. _

_ “Honey,” Jeremy sassed. “You absolutely must get that one! It’s absolutely stunning on you. When those men see you in this, they won’t know what hit them.” _

  
_ “Okay, but see that is the opposite of the reaction I want them to have,” Zarina whined. She looked at herself in the floor length mirror again, before sighing. She looked at Sophie and Tim, who were just as enchanted by the dress. “Oh all right. Fine. I’ll buy it. And you guys will help me find other reasons to wear it when we get back home!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the great encouragement. I greatly appreciate it!  
> I know Hot Topic gets a bad rep in a lot of circles, but I personally love that store, and have no problems with the quality of their clothing. Plus, I like the idea of Zarina going to basically a Fandom Clothing Store to buy something for her date.  
> Also, I wanted to post photos of the dress, hair style and shoes, but I don't know how.


	5. Chapter Five: First Night With Tom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay- It's been a crazy couple of weeks. But here's the next chapter, and I already have the majority of the next chapter, the flashback of Zarina's first dinner with the men, written. Thanks for all the great comments!

When the three Alphas entered their Omega’s room at the bottom of the stairs, they noticed she was thrashing around in the bathroom.

“Pixie, are you alright?”

Zarina stood in the doorway, glaring at the three men. “You said you unpacked my stuff and put things away,” she said in a strained voice. “Where did you put the pill bottle from my purse?”

“I didn’t do anything with the contents of your purse, Pixie,” Tom assured her.

“I need that bottle.”

James took the casserole dish over to the small table, gesturing for Michael to start setting the table while Tom slowly walked over to where Zarina stood rigidly in the bathroom doorway. 

“What’s wrong, Pixie?” Upon closer inspection, Tom could see his small Omega trembling, slightly. Her eyes looked pained and unfocused and her soft skin seemed more pale than usual. 

“I’m fine, it’s just a headache. But I need that bottle. It has my daily meds and my pain meds in it. Please, give it back, I can’t miss another dose.” 

Tom looked down at her, concern clearly coloring his features. “It’s not just a headache, is it?” He carefully and gently cupped her cheek and jaw in his large, warm hand. For just a second, he felt her relax into his touch, her eyes closing. Her trembling was barely noticeable as she took a deep breath, inhaling the light scent of the beautiful Alpha in front of her. Her brain didn’t care that it was one of her abductors touching her. Somehow, all she knew was that the thumping pain in her skull seemed to lessen, just by his touch. Her hand found its way to rest atop his as she slowly nuzzled into his hand, desperately seeking the relief his touch was offering. But when she opened her eyes, she was overcome with a flood of emotions. She jerked out of Tom's hand while shoving him away. 

“No, don’t touch me,” she hissed. Tom frowned. As she was finding comfort in his touch, he noticed her scent changed, ever so slightly. A musk of pheromones mixed into her normal scent of vanilla and lavender. But as soon as her eyes focused on him again, and the panic and realization colored her face, the scent was gone. James had mentioned that she was beginning to be affected by her Alpha’s. How she seemed to be at war with herself. She was upset and frightened. She wanted to run from them. But there were some hints that the Omega was breaking loose and trying to surface. They just needed to find ways to help it find its way to the surface, and then find ways to keep her there. 

“Okay, Pixie,” he said with a nod. “I’ll get it for you after dinner. Now, please come. Sit and eat with us. James made Shepard’s Pie.”

“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled. Though it was completely untrue. And when her stomach growled angrily, she sighed, looking down at it. “Traitor.”

“You didn’t eat breakfast, James said you didn’t eat anything for lunch, you have to eat, Morsel.”

“I’m not interested in being drugged by you anymore,” she hissed, looking past Tom to Michael. 

“We haven’t drugged anything, Baby Doll. In fact, we haven’t even dished out the food, yet.”

“Zarina, I warned you last night, the same warning applies to every meal. I don’t care how angry you are, how hurt you are or how frightened you are. I will not see you make yourself sick by starvation. Now come here, sit down and eat,” Michael commanded. Zarina involuntarily flinched at the tone in his voice, and they all noticed it. It was working. The more time she spent with her Alpha’s, the more her Omega side showed. Michael’s command had resonated within her, and it was the Omega who had flinched at his anger. She averted her eyes, unable to look at any of them. Biting her lip, Zarina tentatively accepted Tom’s offered hand and let him take her to the table. She sat down in the same chair as the night before, staring at the empty plate in front of her. 

“Do you like Shepard’s Pie?” James asked.

“I’ve never had it. My aunt didn’t like to cook, so there were only a few things she made, spaghetti and canned sauce, hamburger helper, tacos and cake. Mostly, she was really well known by all the delivery drivers and waitstaff at most restaurants on our side of town. And I don’t remember ever seeing Shepard’s Pie on a menu.”

“How did you learn to cook, then?” Tom asked, remembering some of the meals she’d prepared when they’d visited her.

“Food Network,” she shrugged, still unable to look at any of them.

“Well, it’s really just a meat pie, only with mashed potatoes instead of pie crust,” James explained, as he started dishing out the food onto the plates. “Potatoes, ground beef, corn, peas, onions and carrots.” 

Dinner was eaten with minimal conversation. Any time one of the three men asked anything of her, Zarina answered quietly, without looking up at them, which didn’t go unnoticed by them.

“There, don’t you feel a little better after eating?” Michael asked, as Zarina finished the last bite of her second helping. She could only nod in response. “That’s our good girl.” A satisfied smile flashed across Michael’s face when he saw the small shiver run through her body at the praise, and she finally looked up at him. But as soon as their eyes met, she looked away. That gave Michael enough time to share a look with James and Tom. Tom tilted his head towards the door. James and Michael nodded and they all stood up, which startled Zarina. She looked up at them, as they began clearing the table.   

“Tonight, I’m going to stay with you, Pixie.” Tom handed his plate to James, who had taken Zarina’s as well and stacked them on a tray. When the table was cleared, Tom walked over to the wardrobe, opened it and pulled out a set of black satin pajama pants and matching cami-top.   

“Alright, Morsel, I want you to be a good girl for Tom. I’ll see you in the morning.” Michael bent down, curled his fingers under Zarina’s chin and tilted her face up to look at him. When she finally looked up at him, he leaned down and kissed her, lovingly, on the lips. Her surprised gasp made him smile. He kissed her forehead as he stood up. “Good night, Morsel.” Without another word, he left the basement room.

James set the serving tray on the table as he took Michael’s place in front of Zarina. “I have an interview and photoshoot early tomorrow morning, so I won’t see you until after lunch.” He leaned down, laid his warm hand gently against her cheek and drew her into an affectionate kiss. “Be a good girl for Tom and Michael, Baby Doll, and I’ll bring you something special. Ya?” The expression in his sharp blue eyes had Zarina nodding without realizing it. “My sweet Baby Doll,” he confirmed quietly. Smiling tenderly, he stood and left the room.

Tom set the pajamas on the daybed before approaching his Omega, who was still sitting at the table. “Why don’t you get changed into the pajamas I’ve laid out, get washed and ready for bed and I’ll go get your pills. I’ll make you a cup of chamomile, while I’m up there. And when I come back, we can watch a movie. Sound good?” Again, Zarina only nodded. And this reaction made Tom look at her more carefully. He crouched down in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on some point, straight ahead, across the room. Even with him right in front of her, she didn’t seem to see him. Just kept staring past him. Placing his hands on her cheeks, he gently tilted her head so her face was more aligned to his. “Pixie, what’s wrong?” he whispered, running a thumb lightly across her lower lip, in an attempt to capture her attention. He was pleased to see it did have some kind of affect on her, as she closed her eyes and nuzzled her face back and forth against the warms of his large hands. There was a quiet hum vibrating in her throat, almost like a purr. She licked her tongue out to wet her lips, not realizing the tip of Tom’s thumb was still resting against her bottom lip, until her tongue tickled it just a bit.

But all too soon, she pulled away, glaring daggers at Tom.

“What are you doing to me?” she whispered, accusingly. 

Tom realized he was witnessing, first hand, her internal war. The struggle against herself. And it was terrifying her. She was going into a state of shock, so to speak. 

“Oh Pixie,” Tom sighed. He slid his hands down from her face, down her arms and gripped her hands firmly. He pulled her up to stand with him, tugging her into a loving embrace. “Sweet, sweet Zarina. It’s going to be alright. Everything is going to be okay. We are here to take care of you. To protect you. To love you.” He kissed the top of her head, where it tucked under his chin, against his chest. He felt her start to tremble again. “Shhh. Hush, now, darling girl. I’ve got you. You’re going to be fine. You just need to stop fighting us. Stop fighting yourself. Let instinct take over. You will feel so much better if you just let go, Pixie.” He hugged her just a bit tighter, trying to reassure her of his presence and the sincerity of his words. He finally let go of her and gently nudged her towards the bed. “Go get changed and washed and I’ll be right back with your pills and tea.” 

“Okay,” Zarina whispered as she gathered the sleep clothes from the bed and walked to the bathroom. Tom waited for the bathroom door to shut before he left the basement room. 

 ~~~~~~~~

Tom set the kettle to boil while he went up to his bedroom to retrieve Zarina’s purse. When he came back to the kitchen, Michael and James were both there, setting up a tea cup and saucer for him to take back downstairs. 

“Where are those pills?” Tom asked as he retrieved a box of chamomile tea bags from a cabinet and set it on the counter next to the cup.

Michael pulled a nondescript white pill bottle from a drawer, opened it and shook out a handful of white, round tablets. He pushed the tablets around in his palm until he found one that had been split in two. He shoved the others back in the bottle and set the halved piece next to the box of tea and tea cup. Tom put the piece of the tablet between two spoons and crushed it into powder just as James lifted the whistling kettle from the stove. First the spoons with the powder were tapped against the inside of the cup. Then the tea bag was tossed in and the hot water poured into it. 

“Alright, let that steep for a few minutes,” Tom instructed as he started making his way back up to his room. “I forgot to change, I’ll be right back.”

Tom changed into his sleep clothes quickly, grabbed a pair of slippers and made his way back to the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, he grabbed Zarina’s pill bottle and the tea cup- Michael had just finished removing the tea bag and adding a bit of honey.

“See if she’ll let you rub her neck and shoulders,” James suggested as Michael opened the door for the basement stairs. 

“Take care of our girl,” Michael said. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and I’m taking your bed, tonight.” Tom hummed his approval. They had discussed the plans for the night while they made dinner. Since Michael and James both had obligations early in the morning, it was decided Tom would be the first to spend the night in the room with Zarina. Michael and James had been switching between the spare room and the couch in Tom’s office for the last two nights. Michael was supposed to be on the couch again tonight, but figured, since Tom wasn’t going to be using it, he could sleep in Tom’s room. 

Tom turned the switch on the wall and heard the distinct snap of the three deadbolts unlocking. He pushed the door in and was pleasantly surprised to find Zarina lying comfortably on the daybed, watching something on the television. Tom closed and locked the door behind him, putting the key in the pocket of his black linen sleep pants. He set the tea cup and the pill bottle on the end table closest to Zarina before sitting on the daybed’s edge.

He watched as she sat up and retrieved two pills from the bottle, swallowing them both down with tea. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, after finishing half the tea.

“You’re welcome, Pixie.” Tom continued to watch her as she got comfortable at the end of the bed, sitting away from him. He sat back, trying to make himself comfortable, without encroaching on her space, and turned his attention to the television. He watched the show for a few minutes before he recognized the actors. “Supernatural?” Zarina nodded, eliciting a smile from him. 

After several minutes, Tom noticed Zarina had curled up in the corner of the daybed and was almost squeezing her head between her arms.

“Pixie? What’s wrong, sweet girl?” he asked, scooting across the mattress. When all she could offer was a pitiful groan of pain, Tom reached out and began slowly, gently, running his hand along the back of her neck from the base of her skull to her shoulders and back up. Her muscles were so tense, and he could feel them jump under his fingers. “I’m sorry, Zarina. I just took your purse and didn’t think to look through it for anything you might have required. One of those pills you took is for headaches, isn’t it?”

Zarina just nodded, which caused her to groan out, again, in pain. “One was for migraine management, the other for neuro pain management,” she whispered. 

Tom continued to rub her neck, and eventually her shoulders, alternating between a light and firm pressure in an attempt to help her muscles loosen a bit. As he was experimenting with a firm drag of his thumb on one side of her spine and his index and middle finger on the other, he felt the muscles jump, then loosen, just the tiniest bit. And the moan that escaped her throat was very nearly obscene. Smiling, Tom continued his ministrations, watching as Zarina began moving closer to him so he could use both hands. It wasn’t long before Tom found the opportunity to pull Zarina off the bed and onto his lap. And he was both surprised and pleased to find she didn’t fight his bold move. Instead, she settled against his warm body, allowing him to cradle her in a safe, protective embrace. He continued to rub her neck and shoulders, with the arm he held against her back, and she melted further and further into him. 

Hearing the same humming, purring sounds as he had earlier, Tom felt a wave of confidence and determination surge through him. He slowly slid the hand which had been working on massaging her neck and shoulders up to the back of her head, tangling it firmly, but gently, in her dark, mahogany tresses. With great deliberation, Tom carefully nuzzled his nose against the side of Zarina’s throat. When he didn’t feel her pull away, he continued on his journey, north towards her ear, inhaling her scent deeply. Once he made his way up to the underside of her ear, he nuzzled a bit more insistently, testing her resolve. But it seemed, at least for the moment and probably with a bit of help from the drugged tea and her own medications, her willpower against her Alpha had dissolved. Never one to overlook an opportunity such as this, Tom began planting light, tickling kisses just behind her earlobe. And when her breath hitched in a startled, but pleasant, gasp, he moved to the front of her ear, kissing, licking, nipping and humming his way up the shell of her ear and back down to the thin, silver hoop earrings she never took out. He smiled against her cheek at her breathless, shivering reactions from his sudden, teasing attentions.

Tom kissed his way down her jaw and over to the corner of her mouth, where he ever so gently placed a sweet, little kiss. Pulling away, just an inch or two to study his Omega, Tom found Zarina’s eyes closed, lips barely parted, the hand nestled between them was gripping Tom’s forearm, of which his hand had managed to find it’s way to sit on her thigh, and her other hand was clutching his pajama top. With a satisfied smile, Tom moved both his hands, the one resting on her thigh and the one in her hair at the same time. The one which had occupied her hair now rested lightly on her hip, while the one from her thigh now curled under her chin, turning her face towards him. He had intended to try and talk with her, calm her mind and ease her worries, but seeing her like this, on his lap, cheeks flushed, lips parted and eyes closed, he was overcome with desire.  

Zarina had no time to react as Tom surged forward and captured her lips with his own. He started slowly, looking for any sign she was about to pull away, but when there was none, he gave into his hunger. Parting his lips, he sucked her bottom lip between his, teasing it with the tip of his tongue before giving it a lustful nip. As his lips continued their masterful caress, the smallest, quietest whimper escaped Zarina’s own lips, vibrating against Tom’s mouth, sending him into a fury of passion. He pulled back just far enough to lick at her top lip, enticing her to open her mouth just a little bit more, giving him more access. Crushing his mouth against hers, his tongue darted out, finding hers waiting. When she tried to rear back, startled by the sudden invasion, Tom followed her, moving the hand that had been under her chin to wrap lightly around her throat, while the other hand splayed out across her back. He used his own body to maneuver hers to lie back against the bed. Without losing any of the intensity or dominance of the kiss, Tom shifted himself so he was no long under Zarina’s legs. He positioned her under him, in the center of the daybed, so he had plenty of room on either side of her to straddle her thighs. Reluctantly, or perhaps hesitantly, Zarina responded to Tom’s actions, reciprocating the kiss tentatively and not resisting when he coaxed her body to rest where it suited his desires. Once he had her gently pinned under him, Tom moved his hands slowly, first sliding them down her arms to firmly wrap around her wrists, then gently pulling her wrists above her head. Binding both wrists together with one hand, Tom allowed his free hand to journey back down to her face, where it affectionately rested against her cheek as he withdrew from the kiss. 

Tom sat back, leaving his hands where they were. He was panting, eyes dilated and mouth open as he fought against his lust to continue his exploration of the beautiful, flustered Omega under him. When he leaned in again, to give her a sweet, chaste kiss in the hopes to bring her attention to him, but he realized her cheeks were streaked with tears.    

“Look at me, Zarina,” he commanded softly. He waited patiently for her to open her eyes. When she did, he frowned to see tears in her big, beautiful green eyes. “Oh, Pixie.” He lovingly swept the pad of his thumb across the cheek he held, wiping away the trail of tears.”I’m not going to hurt you, sweet girl. Don’t be frightened.” He smiled affectionately down at her.

He realized he had pushed too far, but didn’t regret it. She was enjoying the intimacy of his kiss and touch. But she was still struggling to come to terms with what was going on. Zarina’s Omega instincts were fighting for control but she had spent so long convincing herself she didn’t need an Alpha, that she couldn’t have one, she didn’t deserve one that she couldn’t let the Omega instinct be free. She was frightened, horrified, to lose herself. She’d spent nearly her whole life being in control, taking care of herself and the thought of submitting her control to these three Alpha’s and letting them take care of her was overwhelming and terrifying. But at the same time, there was a certain appeal to it.  

“It’s alright, Pixie,” he soothed. He rolled off her, resting at her side next to the back of the daybed. He helped move her so she was on her side, back against his chest, head on the pillow. He watched her yawn and heard her sniffle, before wrapping his arm around her abdomen and pulling her further into himself. “Let’s finish watching this episode and get some rest, ya?”

 

 


	6. First Dates; Dinner and a Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Links of Zarina's dress and how her hair is styled will be posted at the end. I don't feel as good about this chapter as I wish I did, but it's done and I can move on. Thanks to everyone still hanging in there with me!

_It was almost six when the group returned to their hotel room. Zarina changed into her new dress quickly, praising the gods that she’d brought her comfortable strapless bra, and that her Mary Jane styled black pumps worked very well with the dress. She worked on her makeup while Tim insisted on putting her hair up in a braided chignon that came to wind around in the back of her head and looked like a delicate rose. Sophie came into the bathroom with five minutes to spare, and dabbed some perfume on Zarina’s pulse points before tying a simple black lace choker with a silver and purple belladonna flower pendant around her friend’s neck._

_“Zarina,” called Jeremy in a sing song tone. “You have visitors.”_

_Zarina looked at herself in the mirror one last time, took a deep breath to calm her nerves and walked out of the bathroom._

_She tried to smile when she saw Tom, James and Michael standing in the hotel room, all looking dapper and handsome as the devil’s they were. Tom wearing a beautifully tailored deep blue three piece suit and white dress shirt. James was in a smart looking dark grey suit jacket and trousers with a burgundy dress shirt. And Michael wore a resplendent black suit jacket, dark grey waistcoat and matching trousers with a dark green dress shirt. Suddenly, Zarina felt ridiculous in the dress she’d just bought, with her hair pinned up as it was, the cheap shoes on her feet and the silly trinket around her neck._

_“Wow,” James finally said, breaking the tension in the room. “You look...”_

_“Enchanting.”  “Exquisite.”  “Stunning.” The three men said in unison._

_Zarina blushed fiercely, smiling shyly, mumbling about how handsome they looked while averting her eyes. She made herself look around the room, finding her cell phone, purse, shawl and room key card sitting on the bed. She hoped she wouldn’t have to say anything to cut the awkwardness of the situation, that gathering her things and grabbing her black shawl from the coat closet would be indication enough that she was ready to leave. And it seemed she was right, as she moved around the room, the three men snapped out of their astonished mindset and began shuffling towards the door._  

_As Tom opened the door for Zarina, she whirled around to address her friends. “Sophie, no more than four drinks total tonight. We have the NerdHQ panels tomorrow and I don’t want to hear you complain about being hungover. And absolutely no inviting anyone back to our room tonight. If you want to go back to someone else’s room, I cannot stop you, but do not bring anyone back here. I am not coming back tonight to find someone sleeping in my spot, got it?” Her three friends all looked a little flustered, Zarina knew they all far too well, sometimes._

_While James politely took her shawl and draped it over her shoulders, Michael said their goodbyes to Zarina’s friends and Tom ushered her out the door._

_Zarina, Tom, James and Michael were only a couple doors down the hall when Sophie popped her head out of their room to shout at them._  

 _“No matter what she tells you, she will not turn into a pumpkin and she doesn’t have anything to do until early afternoon tomorrow. Keep her out as long as you like!”_  

 _Zarina looked over her shoulder at her best friend, glaring daggers at her while mouthing, ‘Bitch!’ Sophie just smiled, waved and told the group to have fun._  

 _“I like your friend,” Tom chuckled, once the group had gotten into the elevator._  

 _“She’s crazy and has a big mouth,” Zarina grumbled._  

 _“Those are the best kind,” Michael smiled. James nodded, while looking pointedly at Michael. Zarina knew the two had developed a strong friendship while filming the X-men movies. She wondered, briefly, which of the two was the crazy, big-mouthed one._  

_The Alpha’s ushered their Mate out of the elevator, through the lobby and into the clammy San Diego evening air. A black sedan was standing by the curb, the hotel valet standing readily next to the rear passenger door. He opened it for the group and Michael pressed a hand to the small of Zarina’s back, urging her, wordlessly to get in. James walked around to the other side of the car and got in next to her, Michael climbing in after her. Tom sat in the front, with the driver, who had stayed in the car. It was such a bizarre feeling, sitting so closely between James and Michael, Zarina had to do her best to remember to breathe._

_“Um,” Zarina finally tried to break the silence. Once leaving the hotel, the driver took the car north, finally getting onto Interstate 5. “So where are we going?”_  

_“We are going to a restaurant called The Marine Room. Luke said it has a spectacular view of the sunset over the ocean and excellent food,” Tom said from the front seat._

_The drive took roughly thirty minutes, and most of it was spent in silence. Zarina wondered if she was the only one feeling anxious and awkward about any of this, or if their silence during the trip meant the three handsome actors were suffering from the same feelings. The three men escorted their hesitant date inside, where the host recognized them on sight._  

_“Gentlemen, Miss, please follow me,” the host instructed. He walked through the large, main dining room and into a smaller, more private room with a wall length window overlooking the sea. A rectangular table with a crisp white linen tablecloth had been set for four, with menus already lying on the settings. Michael pulled out the chair on the far side of the table, next to the window while Tom guided Zarina to sit, and James took her shawl. James sat himself across from Zarina while Tom sat down next to her and Michael next to James._

_“Your waiter is Carlos and he will be over in just a moment to take drink orders. Our specials for this evening are on the front page, and each item has a suggested drink pairing. If you have any questions or require anything at all tonight, do not hesitate to let us know.” The group thanked the host before he walked off._

_The four discussed quickly their drink options, deciding on their own cocktails._

_“‘Ello, I’m Carlos, your waiter,” said a young man as he approached the table. The way he spoke made Zarina look up at him. She recognized the tone in his voice. “Can I get your drinks?”_

_Tom ordered a Jameson on the rocks, Michael a dry martini and James asked for a Scotch. Zarina watched Carlos carefully as he took their orders. When he turned to her, she smiled and signed out, “Brandy Old Fashioned, please.” Then proceeded to sign the orders for the other three, as confirmation. Carlos smiled excitedly, signing back a thank you and that he would be right back with the drinks. He turned to the men and said the same._

  _“What was that?” James asked when Carlos left._

  _“He’s deaf, or maybe just hard of hearing. So I signed our drink order for him,” Zarina explained._

  _"How did you know he was deaf?” Michael asked._

  _“He purposely structured his sentences so he didn’t use the words is, with or other prepositions. Those aren’t used in sign language, so most deaf or hearing impaired people who speak typically don’t use them. Plus, he was reading your lips while you spoke, and he has a cochlear implant,” Zarina explained._

  _“How do you know sign language?” Tom asked._

  _“My aunt was deaf, I had to learn it to communicate with her.” She looked over the menu, taken aback by the selection, and the prices._

  _“Where are you from, Zarina?” Michael asked as he looked over his own menu._

  _“Madison, Wisconsin,” she answered, then asked her own question. “I know you, Tom, live in London. What about you two?”_

  _“We also live in London,” James replied._

 Strike three, _Zarina thought._

  _Carlos came back carrying a tray with their drinks. He smiled again at Zarina before signing, ‘Know what you want?’_

  _“Oh, he want’s to know if we are ready to order,” Zarina interpreted._

  _“I can be ready,” confirmed Tom. James and Michael nodded in agreement. Zarina signed that they were ready, then proceeded to tell Carlos their orders. Carlos expressed great appreciation for her help and left to put their order in._

  _“So you mentioned your aunt, were you very close with her?” Tom asked._

  _“She raised me,” Zarina explained. The three men looked at her, the question clearly etched on their faces, but they weren’t sure how to ask. “She took me in after my parents died. I was thirteen, my parents and my older sister were killed in a car crash on their way home from picking up my sister from summer camp. I was sick and stayed home with my aunt watching me. She was born deaf, and my mom’s only sibling. She lived a few blocks away, and was always around, so we all just learned sign language.”_

  _There was an awkward silence hanging in the air as the men absorbed the details Zarina had offered up so freely._

  _"If it’s not too forward, how old are you?” Michael finally asked._

  _Zarina blushed. This is one of the reasons she was sure being the Omega to these three wasn’t going to work well. “I’m twenty-four.” That was fifteen years younger than Michael, thirteen years younger than James and eleven years younger than Tom._ Strike four. _“My birthday is in March.”_

  _“Are you in college, or do you have a job?” James asked._

  _“I didn’t go to college. I didn't know what to go for. But I work. I work for a local hotel and as the Assistant Registrar of Exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art. I also freelance as a model for a local clothing boutique and sometimes as a character sketch artist for a local gaming shop.”_

  _“That all sounds interesting,” Tom started._

  _“That sounds like a lot,” Michael cut in. Zarina heard something in his tone. Almost as if he disapproved of something._

  _“Well, I work part time at the two jobs, and the modeling thing is only when the shop gets new outfits and costumes and they need to get it on their website. And drawing characters for gamers is pretty easy.”_

  _“Okay, explain that one. Characters for gamers?” James asked._

  _“I should probably get it out of the way now, so you know,” Zarina started. “I’m a big time geek. I play RPG’s and boardgames, know everything Star Wars and Disney, and am a familiar face at the local comic book shops. I have a friend who owns a gaming store, when players want a picture drawn of their character for their game, he refers them to me. It’s fun. I like to draw, and paint. And sculpt, crochet, craft and build. Oh, I love Legos! And...” Zarina realized she was rambling, so she stopped suddenly, blushing crimson._

  _“It sounds like you have many talents, Pixie,” Tom said easily. The other two agreed, Zarina just shrugged self-consciously._

  _The group continued to talk about their interests and hobbies throughout the dinner_ , with the men asking a lot of questions about Zarina’s gaming experience. Zarina tried to explain what an RPG (Role-Playing Game) and _a LARP (Live Action Role Play) was and their differences. Carlos had come back with their entrees and refilled their drinks as requested. When he returned nearly an hour and a half after they’d been seated to retrieve empty plates, he asked if they wanted to see the dessert menu. Zarina declined, deciding she’d already eaten more than she normally would have, and cringed at the cost of just a small dessert. As they waited for the check, Zarina found herself wondering how splitting it would work. She knew they’d insist on paying for her dinner, but she was determined to pay for herself. This may be a date, but she wasn’t interested in giving over all the control for the evening._

  _It wasn’t long after declining dessert that the three men stood up, Michael pulled out Zarina’s chair while James held out her shawl to wrap around her shoulders when she stood. Zarina looked around curiously, this did not seem the kind of place to pay on the way out. So where was the check?_

  _As if reading her thoughts, Tom offered an explanation. “Luke set up the bill when he made the reservation. The cheque is already taken care of, Pixie.”_

 " _But I...”_

  _“Don’t have to worry about anything, you are ours to spoil, now,” James interrupted, with a smile that was a bit more victorious than Zarina was comfortable with._

  _“And we mean to do just that,” Michael said excitedly. The three men lead Zarina out of the restaurant and back to the black sedan waiting in the parking lot. They piled into the car and the driver started heading south, back the way they came. But when they got to the turn off the interstate that would have taken them to the hotel Zarina was staying in, they turned the other way, towards the convention center._

  _“Um, where are we going, now?”_

  _“Well, Morsel, we want to take you to a party at the hotel we are all staying at,” Michael said. “The convention puts all the actors, producers, writers, and general celebrities working the Con up at the Hyatt next door to the center. The night before the last day of the Con, tonight, everyone gets together at the rooftop bar for a party.”_

  _“We would like to take you as our Soulmate,” James explained._

  _“Oh, um... that seems a little...” Zarina tried to find the right words to express how she was feeling. “Overwhelming...” she mumbled._

  _Michael just smiled at her while James grabbed her hands, which had been folded on her lap, in an attempt to reassure her._

  _“We will be with you the whole time,” Tom promised, looking at her from the front seat. He watched as Zarina attempted to surreptitiously pull her hands from James gentle hold. But when James felt her pulling away, he instinctively tightened his hold. James glanced over at Zarina, who smiled sheepishly and turned her head to look out the other window, only to find Michael staring at her as well. Tom watched her jump slightly as Michael set his hand gently on her knee._ She’s very nervous, _Tom thought. He was beginning to wonder if his little Omega would become a flight risk. Then it occurred to him._ Flight risk. She’ll undoubtedly be flying back home tomorrow. And we’re all going to be going our own ways. _He just found her, he didn’t want to lose his Soulmate. With the realization of less than a day left with her, Tom made a mental list of things he wanted to know about her. He continued to watch as Zarina looked around the car, trying to avoid eye contact with the men next to her. She looked up, thinking to just stare out the front window, when she caught Tom’s appraising blue eyes. Blushing, Zarina decided the safest place to look would be her own lap. Until she realized both James and Michael still had their hands holding her hands and resting on her knee. Zarina took a deep breath and tried not to think about what was happening._

  _The driver pulled the car into the underground parking garage of the swank bayside hotel. Tom and Michael were the first to get out, sharing a look as Zarina slid across the backseat to the opened door. It was clear Michael was of the same mind as Tom. She accepted Michael’s hand as she got out of the car, James got out on his side and walked around to meet the three on the other side of the car._

  _“Ready, Baby Doll?” he asked._

  _“Like I have a choice,” Zarina grumbled under her breath._

  _“What was that, Morsel?” Michael asked as he adjusted his hand around hers. Zarina just shook her head. Tom moved around so he was standing on the other side of their Omega and placed his hand possessively at the small of her back. James walked ahead of the three and pushed the button to call the elevator. The three ushered their mate into the lift, James pushing the button for the lobby floor. Once the elevator came to a stop, the three ushered her across the lobby to another set of elevators. This time, James pushed the button to go all the way to the top floor. Zarina kept quiet the whole time, wondering how awkward things were going to get once they stepped off the elevator._

  _The sound of music penetrated the elevator’s walls as it came to a stop at the top floor. When the doors pinged open, Zarina was in awe at the sight in front of her. Forty floors above the streets of San Diego, the floor to ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the sea. There was music being played from a DJ set up in the far corner, with a space to dance right in front. And so many people were sitting, standing and talking. Zarina’s stomach twisted into several knots as she was gently pulled out of the elevator by Michael, who was still holding her hand. Tom gently pushed against the small of her back, helping her step onto the floor proper._

  _“How about a drink, Baby Doll?”_

  _“Yes, please,” Zarina almost begged. If she was going to get through this night, she was going to need as much liquid courage as they were willing to offer. “If they have it, chocolate martini. If not, Kraken and pepsi, please.”_

  _James smiled, took the other drink orders and left for the bar. Tom took the men’s jackets, Zarina’s shawl and her purse to the coat check area while Michael lead Zarina over to an unoccupied table to sit._

  _“You seem anxious, Morsel.” It was more a statement rather than a question. Michael watched as Zarina continued to fidget with her hands and the hem of her dress._

  _“Yeah, well, this is all rather...” she trailed off when she saw James and Tom coming to the table. “Like I said last night, I wasn’t expecting to, you know, find my Alpha’s, and then suddenly, BAM, there you all are. And I really haven’t, um, had the chance to adjust to this. And there’s so much happening in such a short time and I have no idea what you all hope is going to happen. But I leave for home tomorrow. And you guys will be going back to where ever you were before the Con...” She knew she was babbling, but the floodgates had been opened and she had to get somethings off her mind or she thought she would explode._

  _“Oh, Baby Doll,” James started, cutting off Zarina’s rant. He and Tom sat around the table with Michael and Zarina. “I realize this must be very overwhelming. It’s not like any of us anticipated meeting you, either. And this is a rather unconventional situation, three Alpha’s to one Omega. It’s going to take a lot of getting used to and we will have to figure some things out.”_

  _“But we’d like to just take tonight to get to know you, and enjoy your company,” Tom said._

  _“And we can discuss what’s to come over breakfast, tomorrow morning,” Michael finished. They were smiling at her again. There was something about the way the three smiled at her that sent her heart into palpitations and her breath to stutter in her throat. A mixture of predatory hunger and caring reassurance._

 Wait, _she thought,_ breakfast? _Zarina tried not to think about the implication of Michael’s statement._

  _As if the Universe were trying to save the situation from becoming any more awkward, a group of people approached the table. Tom, Michael and James began introducing Zarina around to their friends and colleagues. Conversations started and people came and went as the evening wore on. Zarina did her best to present a calm and controlled persona. Meeting so many famous people in such short time was a rather exhausting endeavor for someone so influenced by movies and TV as she was. One of her natural defenses in socially uncomfortable situations was to use movie quotes in conversation and suss-out the people she could relate to. But here, with all these people, she just didn’t feel like she fit in at all. And that was another note in the Con column. As Zarina added up the columns, she found there were more Cons than Pros for having these three men as her Alpha’s._

  _Over the course of the night, Tom, James and Michael would leave the group for one reason or another leaving the other two to be with Zarina. Any time she mentioned wanting to get another drink, or checking out the rest of the party, all three would have the same reaction. One would insist he'd bring her another drink, another would try to bring her attention to his conversation or the other would find another means of distracting her and keeping her sitting with them. They had been at the party for nearly two hours when Zarina finally had had enough attention from all the famous strangers and the overwhelming affections from her Alpha’s and excused herself to the restroom. With this excuse, not one of them could deny her. Though they did offer her escort to and from, which she promptly declined. She took her time in the restrooms, and when she finally exited the extravagant room, she took note of the rest of the party. Her Alpha’s had kept her fairly secluded from the majority of the party, she realized. They’d been staying at the table near the far end of the room all night, but the party was so much bigger than that little area. There were so many more people attending than she had realized. And the Rooftop bar and lounge area in which the party was being held was something to behold. Zarina found herself feeling just a bit annoyed at having been tucked away all night. Now that she was free from Tom, James and Michael, she wanted to explore a little bit._

  _Zarina looked over to where her three Alpha’s were chatting and drinking away with their friends, not seeming to miss her. So she took the chance to wonder about the lounge, avoiding the dance floor area, and finding her way over to the floor to ceiling windows and the huge open balcony just beyond. Standing outside against the railing, looking out over the bay, Zarina sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the slight sea breeze against her skin. The pins holding her hair up were starting to dig into her scalp, so she decided it was time to take all the braids out and let her hair tumble free._

  _As she was pulling the pins out, she heard someone come out to join her on the balcony._

  _"Managed to slip your escorts?” a woman asked, making Zarina jump in surprise. She turned to see three women standing next to her at the railing. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. You’re Zarina, ya? Tom’s soulmate?”_

  _Zarina eyed the woman speaking, she looked and sounded familiar, but Zarina couldn’t place who this woman was. “Yeah, that’s me. Apparently,” Zarina sighed. She continued to take the pins out of her hair, stuffing them into her dress pocket._

  _“And McAvoy and Fassy?” one of the other women asked. Zarina recognized her as the woman who played Raven in the X-men movies with James and Michael, Jennifer Lawrence._

  _“Yep.”_

  _“You don’t sound too thrilled about it,” the third woman said. Zarina recognized her as well, Tilda Swinton._

  _“It’s a lot to take in,” Zarina confessed as she pulled out the last pin and stuffed it into her pocket. She started unweaving the braid from her hair. She tried to smile kindly to the three woman, but they clearly didn’t buy it._

  _“I can’t imagine. None of us are Garou, so we can’t really relate, but we know the guys fairly well, and have to admit, when we heard they are going to share an Omega...” Jennifer could only shrug._

  _“Ugh,” Zarina sighed. She bent over to rest her head against her hands on the railing. “Did they send you to find me? To be fair, considering I ran out on them last night, I wouldn’t doubt they’d send out a search party. Honestly, it has ocurred to me a couple times tonight.”_

  _“Oh darling,” Tilda said. “It can’t be that bad. They are very sweet men.”_

  _“Oh, Tilda, you know as well as Jen and me what kind of Doms those men are,” the other woman said. Zarina picked her head up to look at the woman. After hearing her voice again, Zarina realized who she was. Jessica Chastain. Of course. These women knew her three Alpha’s. That’s why they were here, they were curious about the Omega assigned by the Laws of Nature of Garou Society to their friends._

  _“Wait, what did you just call them?” Zarina asked. She was looking at the three women standing on the balcony, trying to figure out why they were out here. “What’s a Dom?”_

  _Confusion flashed across all three faces._

  _“Aren't you a Sub?” Jennifer asked._

  _“As in substitute? No, I may work part time, but I'm permanently employed,” Zarina explained. “What does my employment status have to do with anything?”_

  _“No. Sub as in Submissive. All three of them, Tom, James and Michael, are Doms, as in Dominants. You didn’t know that?” Jessica explained._

  _“I don’t even know what that means.” But the implications behind the terms were already starting to turn her anxiety into fear._

  _“Really? But... I thought the whole purpose of the Soulmark thing was so Alpha’s and Omega’s were... you know, just right for each other. I mean, that’s why all their past relationships didn’t work so well, right? The women weren’t their Omega’s. In fact, looking back, I don’t think any of them were Sub’s as well...” Jennifer seemed suddenly uncomfortable with the topic and began rambling, only stopping when Tilda put a hand on her shoulder._

  _“I think what Jen is trying to say is, everyone who knows Tom, Michael and James’s lifestyle choices assumed their Omega’s would be the perfect Subs for them. The fact that you are not a Sub, and don’t even seem to know much about the concept is rather odd, isn’t it?” Tilda asked, rhetorically._

  _“Well, the whole thing is rather odd, isn’t it. Everyone assumed each guy would have his own Omega. Not have to share one. It’s incredibly unusual, from what I understand,” Jessica chimed in. Tilda and Jennifer nodded in agreement._

  _Zarina just stared at the three women as they spoke. She was rather uncomfortable with how they spoke of being an Omega. As if Omega’s were more like property rather than an individual being. Or maybe they were talking in such respect because they were considering the Omega to these men being a Sub, as they called it, and that’s how a Sub was regarded. Or maybe she was just touchy of the whole situation because she resented being an Omega and having absolutely no say in who she was supposed to ‘End Up With’, so to speak._

  _Tilda seemed to recognize the look of doubt and hurt on Zarina’s face. “Oh, goodness, darling, we didn’t mean... We spoke out of turn. Please, forgive us. We were not considering our words concerning this discussion.”_

  _Zarina blinked a couple times before shrugging and shaking her head, hoping to convey she held no ill will against the women. She certainly couldn’t berate them for speaking their mind. These women may not be Garou, but they were friends of her Alpha’s, and could probably give her some insight into the three men._

  _“So... Doms? What does that mean? You called it a lifestyle,” Zarina prompted._

  _“It might not be our place to talk about it,” Jessica said._

  _“I think it’s a bit late for that,” Zarina drawled. “I just want to know something about them. I know only what they present to the public. Please.”_

  _The three women exchanged a look. “Okay,” they agreed._

  _Zarina and the three actresses found some cushioned chairs around a small table on the other side of the balcony and began talking._

  _It was another hour before they were interrupted._

  _“Here you are, Pixie.” Tom’s voice cut through their conversation, bringing it to a halt. “We’ve been looking for you. Hello, ladies.” He smiled charmingly, but was clearly unsure how to continue with his pursuit of his wayward mate._

  _“I was getting claustrophobic in there, and the music is giving me a headache,” Zarina lied smoothly. She tried to give him a smile, but the look on his face stopped her cold. He looked disappointed that she’d been gone without notice. With a quiet sigh, Zarina averted her eyes, feeling like a child caught misbehaving._ This must be that Dom thing they were talking about, _she thought._

  _Tom held out his hand. “Come on, we got you another drink.”_

  _Zarina thanked Jennifer, Tilda and Jessica for staying and talking with her before getting up and taking Tom’s outstretched hand. As Tom lead his mate off the balcony, he looked at the three women still seated, thanking them with kind words and a charming smile, but his eyes were flashing a warning at them._

  _“Poor girl,” Tilda whispered when Tom and Zarina were out of earshot. The other two just nodded._

_As Tom escorted Zarina back to their table, he transferred the hand he was holding to his other hand so he could comb his fingers through her loose hair. "I like your hair down and loose like this. You should wear it like this all the time," he said._

_"Oh, that would get way to annoying. When it's hot, it'll get all sweaty and gross. When it's raining or windy it'll get all tangled and crazy. Besides, I like being able to style it. That's part of the reason I keep it so long. Lots of options for styling."_

_Tom just shrugged. "Found her," he stated as they arrived back at the table. Zarina tried to pull away from Tom and stand at the front of the table, away from the wall and windows, but he held her hand tightly and firmly directed her to sit in her previous seat, between himself and James. Michael was off to the side, talking with some people._

_It was another hour before she worked up the courage to try to leave._

_"Um, Tom?"_

_"Yes, Pixie, do you need another drink?"_

_"No, I... Um, I'm really tired and it's getting quite late..." She stopped to take a deep breath. She wasn't sure why she felt to uncomfortable and awkward around these men, but she did. "I think I'm ready to catch a cab back to my hotel." She bit her lip, waiting for his response._

_Tom looked at his watch and grimaced. It had gotten late. Looking back up at her, he could see the hesitant, pleading look in her eyes. With a sigh, Tom nodded his head. "Of course, you must be getting tired. We've arranged for my driver to take you back to your hotel. We'll walk you down to the car park."_

_Though he didn't sound happy about it, he knew it was for the best. He hailed James and Michael and let them know their little Omega was getting tired and wanted to get back to her hotel._

 

_"Oh, alright, Morsel. We'll see you to the car. Come on." Michael held out his hand and waited for her to accept it. When she did, he lightly tugged her to her feet. James and Tom followed very close behind as Michael lead Zarina through the throng of people and our of the Rooftop bar._

_"My driver will drop you off at the door. When you get into your room, please text us and let us know you got in safe. Actually, do you have Whatsapp? Here, let me see your phone," Tom instructed. Zarina pulled her phone out of her purse, but hesitated before handing it over. Not that it stopped Tom. He simply snatched the phone from her hand and began flipping through her screens. She did, in fact, have the app. Tom confirmed with James and Michael that they also had it and set up a group chat on her phone as the elevator took them to the lobby._

_Tom gave the phone back just as the elevator doors opened._

_"The same driver will pick you up tomorrow, or um," Tom looked at his watch again. It was well after midnight. "I guess, today, at nine and bring you back here for breakfast."_

_"We'll have room service in Tom's suite and we can talk about where we go from here. What are your plans for tomorrow, Baby Doll?"_

_"Oh, um... at noon, the 501st Legion is going to have a Battle for the Con in front of the main entrance. Sophie, Jeremy, Tim and I are going to watch. Then we are going to NerdHQ for the Supernatural panel and conversation before heading to the airport to fly home."_

_"What time does your flight leave?" Michael asked. They were in the elevator heading to the underground parking lot._

_"Oh, flight leaves at 6:15, so we have to be at the airport by four."_

_"So breakfast might be the last time we see you for a while." There was a sadness to James' voice as he realized this._

_Zarina could only nod, but inside she thought,_ Just get through breakfast.

_When they reached the car, Tom wrapped his long arms around his small Omega and kissed her gently on the forehead before reminding her to let them know when she arrives safe and sound. Michael was the next to swoop in and embrace her in his strong arms. He kissed her on the right cheek and thanked her for a lovely evening. James stepped up next, pulling her against his firm chest as he hugged her tightly and kissed her other cheek. He whispered in her ear that he'd miss her before letting her go. The drive back to her hotel was a blessed relief. At some point in the short ride from one hotel to the other, she attempted to ask the driver not to come get her in the morning, but he insisted he was given a job and he would do it. Once she was back at the hotel, and safely in her, still empty room, apparently Sophie and the boys were having a better night than she was, she took out her phone and eyed the new group chat icon. Part of her wanted to rebel a bit against the three men who were so thoroughly and suddenly taking over her life by not sending them a message letting them know she had arrived safe and sound. But the other part of her remembered what she'd been told by Tilda, Jennifer and Jessica not too long ago._

_Z: Back in my room, safe and sound. Thank you for a lovely night._

_Not two minutes after hitting send she received three replies._

_T: Glad you made it alright. Thank you for a great night! See you tomorrow. XX_

_M: Thank you for letting us know. Get some sleep. See you tomorrow. XO_

_J: I had a wonderful time! Make sure to drink some water before going to bed and we will see you tomorrow at 9! XOXO_

 

 

A link to Zarina's Hot Topic Dress: 

 <http://www.hottopic.com/product/disney-villains-black-purple-gown/10856901.html?cgid=girls-dresses#start=72>

A Link to the Chignon braided rosette hairstyle:

<https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/576108977305705801/>


	7. Chapter Seven: Unexpected Guests and Rewards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to try to start getting a chapter a week up. We'll see how that goes. But it's a goal.  
> I hope you guys like this one. The next chapter is nearly finished already- the flashback chapters seem a bit faster to write. And might go up as soon as Friday, but don't hold me to that, in the immortal words of Ian Malcolm, "Life Finds A Way"... to interrupt everything, eventually.

Tom was awake, but still in bed curled up around the still sleeping form of his mate, when Michael unlocked the bedroom door and came in. He was carrying a tray of food and a decanter of coffee. Tom rolled over to look at Michael over his shoulder better, putting a finger to his lips to ensure the other Alpha stayed quiet. Michael nodded in acknowledgement and carefully set the tray and coffee on the kitchenette table. 

As Michael went about getting the table set and plating food, Tom took a few seconds to relish in the feel of having his mate lying, peacefully next to him. Once she had fallen asleep the night before, after he’d pushed her further than she was ready to go, Tom noticed she did not sleep well. And the small bed afforded no help for either of them. She was fitful and restless all night, tossing and turning, never finding a position or spot on the bed that stayed comfortable more than an hour. Her constant moving kept Tom in a partial sleep state. Not that he blamed her. It was possible, from what he knew of the young woman, that this was the first night she’d even slept next to someone. It’s also probable that the unfamiliar bed, the drugs in her system and the circumstances of her stay in this room lead to such terrible sleep. Either way, Tom was glad to see she was finally calm and getting some much needed rest. 

When Michael was done setting up breakfast for the three of them, Tom found his way to untangle himself from Zarina and roll out of bed. His first move was to excuse himself to the bathroom. When he was relieved and refreshed, he sat himself at the small table next to Michael, noticing Zarina was still sleeping soundly.

“Should we wake her?” Michael whispered.

“No. She didn’t sleep very well. Best to let her rest and when she wakes, we can heat something up for her,” Tom explained. The two ate their breakfast in amiable silence for awhile, until Michael broke that silence.

“So how did last night go? She give you any trouble about staying down here with her?”

“Not really. She drank the tea, took her medications. We need to check and make sure our stuff doesn’t mess with her meds, by the way. Her head was hurting, so I rubbed it for her. And we fell asleep watching her show.” The three had agreed any intimate activities that occurred between Zarina and one of her Alpha’s stayed strictly private. It was one way to ensure the individual relationship and the pack relationship was secure within a set of boundaries. Also, so there would be no jealousy. Though, as the relationship of three Alpha’s to one Omega continued to bloom and grow, each actor found he was not jealous of the other two, at all. Everyone else, yes, absolutely. Their protective and possessive nature seemed ten fold when any other man deemed himself worthy of their Omega’s attentions. 

“Really, that’s it? You’ve got some serious willpower,” Michael commented..

So much for their agreement. Tom smiled wolfishly, before sipping his coffee.

“Well, there was a bit more between rubbing her neck and head and us falling asleep. She’s very responsive, for being so reluctant. A little hesitant, and unsure, at first, but mmm...” Tom smirked at Michael. 

“Lucky bastard.”

“What time is your shoot?” Tom asked, changing the subject on purpose.

“They changed the time. I go in later, won’t be back until after nine tonight. So James will stay with her tonight and I’ll stay with her tomorrow night.”

“And what time is he getting back?”

“Around two. He said he wanted to make a stop on his way back, pick something up for her from his place.”

The slightest whimper brought their attention to the daybed. Zarina was moving under the covers, slowly waking. Quietly, they watched her as she rubbed her eyes and pushed her wayward mess of hair out of her face. She rolled over onto her side and pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Blinking a couple times, she let her eyes adjust to the light shining from the kitchenette area. She rubbed her eyes again, and slowly stood up with a yawn. Without a word to acknowledge the two men sitting at the table, Zarina stumbled her way over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

“Oh, she’s so adorable when she first gets up,” Michael chuckled. 

“How long do you think it takes her to brush out that mane?” Tom asked.

“I don’t know, but bedhead looks good on her.” Then a thought struck him, and he smiled at Tom. “I bet you twenty quid James will want to help her brush it out tomorrow morning when he wakes up with her.”

“I’m not taking that bet,” Tom laughed. 

The bathroom door opened and Zarina stumbled out, finding her way to the small table. She grabbed one of the mugs of coffee, not really caring if it were hers or theirs, popped two pills in her mouth and drank down half the beverage. Setting the cup back on the table, she made her way back to the bed and laid down again. 

Tom looked over at Michael, who was looking at him, an eyebrow arched up in questioning concern.

“Are you feeling alright, Morsel?” Michael asked when Tom offered no information. A low grunt of pain and exhaustion was all the response he received. Though both men were in the middle of their breakfast, they left the table to stand next to the bed. “What’s wrong?” Michael asked in a warm, honey-sweet voice.

Zarina cracked her eyes open and blearily stared up at the two beautiful Alpha’s standing above her. Seeing the pain in her eyes, Tom immediately fell to his knees beside the bed and placed a loving hand on her forehead. She didn’t feel warm, or clammy. In fact, she was rather cool to the touch, which Tom had come to expect from his little Omega, but she was trembling a bit. She flinched away from his touch and covered her eyes with the blanket she was holding. 

“Head still hurting?” Tom asked quietly. They saw the blanket move a little and heard a short groan as response. “Michael made a nice fry up. Can you join us at the table, maybe some food will help?”

“Come on, sweet girl,” Michael said, gently pulling the blanket from Zarina’s face. “I need you to eat a little something. It’ll help the pills you just took take effect faster, and maybe help settle your stomach a bit.” He hadn’t failed to notice her arm wrapped around her abdomen. Though he rarely suffered headaches and migraines, he was aware they could sometimes cause upset stomachs. When Zarina didn’t answer, Michael bent down to pick her up, looking a bit annoyed, but Tom stopped him.

“Mate, she’s in pain. If she can’t leave the bed, then breakfast can come to her,” Tom reasoned. With a sigh, Michael nodded and followed Tom the the kitchenette. The two decided the best course of action was to simply bring the table over to the bed, so each man took a side and carried it, carefully, over.

Once the table was in place, Tom scooped Zarina off the bed and gently sat down on the bed with her on his lap. Michael came around the other side of the table with his chair and made himself comfortable. 

“Morsel, do you want some fried bread?” Michael asked. She nodded, he handed the bread over to Tom who helped her take it. When she brought it to her mouth, both men noticed how much she was shaking. “It’s okay, Zarina. Just a little bit of food, maybe some coffee and I’ll get you some water in a minute. When we’re all done with breakfast, we can cuddle on the bed and watch a movie, ya?”

Zarina mumbled, “Okay.” Tom helped steady her hand when she went for the mug of coffee. The three ate in silence, both Alpha’s doing everything they could to help their hurting mate. When she had finished two pieces of fried bread and two pieces of bacon, Tom slid her off his lap so he could help Michael move the table, again. When the two returned to the bed with a glass of water, they found Zarina sitting in the middle of the bed, leaning against the back cushions. The two sat on either side of her. Tom retrieved the TV remote from the side table while Michael gently pulled Zarina onto his lap. She let him move her without any fuss or fighting, which surprised him, adding to his realization of just how unwell his little Morsel was feeling. Tom arranged himself closer to Michael and Zarina, pulling her legs to rest over his so he could have some manner of physical contact with her as well. 

Tom managed to find something on a local channel that seemed to interest Zarina and as the three watched, Tom and Michael became more bold with their physical attentions. With Zarina on his lap, Michael felt an urge to try to tame her wild tresses and began to gently comb his fingers through her hair. At the same time, Tom began running his hand lightly up and down her leg, slowly pushing the leg of her sleep pants up her calf to bunch up past her knee. When neither man was met with resistance, they thought to go further, until Michael realized Zarina had fallen asleep. She had relaxed completely against him, her left side nestled snugly against Michael’s chest. Her head lulled to the side and she nuzzled in against his shoulder and neck. Michael knocked his hand against Tom’s arm to get his attention, pointing out that their beautiful mate had fallen asleep. 

“She didn’t sleep well last night, tossed and turned all night. I’m not surprised she fell asleep,” Tom said quietly.

“Is the bed to hard? Or was she just uncomfortable sharing a bed?”

“I kind of got the impression it was a combination of the two, and that, maybe, she just doesn’t sleep well normally.”

“Should we leave her to rest, do you think?”

Tom thought for a moment. He didn’t want to leave her, especially when she was in pain like this. The look on Michael’s face told him the other Alpha didn’t like leaving her, either.

“I think we make her comfortable,” Tom finally responded. “I’m not ready to leave her, yet.”

“Yeah, me either.”

It was another hour before Zarina was startled awake. The whole house rang with the sound of the thunderous banging. Tom looked at Michael, who shrugged.

“Someone is at the door,” Michael toned as Tom stood up. 

“Clearly. Where did you park your car? Will someone expect you to be here?” Michael nodded, explaining his car was in the driveway. “I will answer the door. Find your way to the kitchen, ya?” Tom turned to Zarina, who was blinking sleepily and stifling a yawn. “I need to you to be a very good girl, Pixie and stay very quiet. Don’t turn on the TV. Don’t yell or try to get attention. Understand? If you misbehave while we are gone, the consequences will be dire. But if you remain our good girl, we will find a way to reward you.” Though she was still tired, the stern, almost menacing look on Tom’s face sobered her up pretty quickly. She opened her mouth to speak, found she had lost her voice under his implications, and could only nod. Bending down Tom gave Zarina a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving the room and heading upstairs. 

Michael slid the slightly stunned woman off his lap and stood up. “Zarina, look at me,” he commanded. She did without hesitation. “I will have no problem punishing you for disobeying us, here. We have been very gracious and generous in your treatment and care, but if you bring any attention to yourself while we have guests, things will get much worse for you. If you find being stuck in this room unpleasant, consider how much worse it would be if we left you tied up to the bed. Do I make myself clear?”

His words had a clear impact on her, as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She nodded again, but Michael didn’t move to leave.

“I require verbal confirmation, Morsel,” he instructed.

Clearing her throat of the lump of fear that had formed, Zarina spoke softly. “Yes, Sir.” It was instinct that made her say it, and it wasn’t until Michael closed his eyes momentarily that she realized she’d said something that incited a reaction she was unfamiliar with in him.

“Good girl.” 

After he left, it took her a moment to compose herself and shake the almost overpowering urge to hide under the covers. But the tiny hope of someone coming into the house, possibly able to rescue her, helped to clear her head. She ran over the door and slowly, quietly, tried turning the doorknob. It was locked, and she had figured it would be. But she’d be an idiot if she didn’t at least try it. She pressed her ear to the door and tried to slow her breath, hoping to hear something from the outside world.

Tom answered the door, wearing just his sleep pants, no shirt. “Hello?”

“Tom, these men are from MPS and were hoping to ask you a few questions,” Luke stated.

“Oh, sure, come on in.” Tom moved to the side and waved for the two men and Luke to come in. “Please excuse me, I just got back from a run and was getting cleaned up. Come on in, Michael is in the kitchen putting the kettle on.”

Tom led the three into his kitchen, where sure enough, Michael was setting out two mugs and some tea bags. The two men took seats at the breakfast bar, opposite from where Tom and Michael were preparing tea. Luke stood back a bit to listen and watch, as was his job.

“Michael, these men are from the Met,” Tom said. “Can you grab a couple more mugs? I hope Earl Grey is alright, gentlemen.”

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Hiddleston,” one of the officers said. “I’m Constable Miller, this is Constable Fredrickson, we are assigned the the missing person case of Zarina Poe.” 

“Yes, Luke told me she was missing. How can we help?” Tom asked. 

“Sir, her friend, Sofie Mickelson, was the one to report Ms. Poe missing two nights ago. Of course, a young American-Garou tourist going missing is cause enough for alarm, but when she informed us that this particular missing woman was your Soulmate, well, you understand why we are here?” Constable Fredrickson offered.

Tom nodded. “Yes, again, Luke explained this to me yesterday. Michael is another of Zarina’s Soulmates. As is James McAvoy. We told Luke that should the Met require anything, to let us know.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Michael asked hopefully. The kettle had started to whistle and he pulled it from the burner and began pouring the boiling water into the prepared mugs. “Is there news?”

The two officers exchanged a solemn glance. “I’m afraid there has been no leads or information as to her whereabouts, yet. We came to ask if you had any information that could be useful. We have an itinerary of her and Sofie’s plans for their European vacation. And we’ve been monitoring her social media for any signs that she may be able to send out word of what happened. We have also convinced her friend to let us trace her mobile, in case Ms. Poe is able to contact her.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have much to offer,” Tom sighed, heavily. He looked worried and tired. As did Michael. “I admit, after talking to Luke yesterday, I called Michael and James right away. We have also been checking in on her Twitter and FaceBook, just in case. A fool’s hope, probably. Yes, she is our Soulmate, according to the soulmarks on our arms. But she has made it pretty clear she wasn’t ready to be with us. We didn’t even know she was supposed to be in England until Luke told us.”

“Why would someone abduct some random woman from an airport? Isn’t it a little, I don’t know, public? How did no one notice anything suspicious?” Michael interjected. The subject of Zarina’s abduction was clearly upsetting him. 

“The problem is, the airport is exceptionally busy,” Constable Miller explained. “People coming and going with no regards to anyone or anything around them. It is, in fact, the best place to set up something like this. The abductors could have easily obtained a car and made it out to look like a cab. A tourist wouldn’t know the difference. And no one would think anything of a girl getting into a cab. She could have asked for directions to the tube and been followed on her way, abducted en route. There are multiple possibilities of how it could have happened, and when. As to why, well, that’s another thing altogether. Is there a chance someone other than close friends, work colleagues and family who would know she is Omega to the three of you? Is there a chance, some jealous fan, or a group of fans, might be doing this out of some misplaced anger or something?” 

Tom and Michael seemed to search their memories from over the last few months. With a scrunched face and a shrug, Tom replied, “I mean it’s possible someone notice us out with her at some point. We weren’t exactly hiding, you know. But we haven’t exactly advertised it either. And Luke.” Tom turned to look at his distressed looking PA. “You’ve been monitoring social media, looking for anything regarding our relationships with Zarina, right?”

Since the night Tom, James and Michael met Zarina, Luke took it upon himself, with no prompting, to scour the internet- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc- to watch for any signs that the public knew their favorite actors were Garou Alpha’s and that these Alpha’s had found their Omega. In three months, only one photo of the three men with the woman surfaced on Tumblr, but no one paid it much mind, assuming she was some assistant for a film company or theatre production. Luke explained this to the police as soon as they’d come to him, the day before, and reconfirmed it now.

“With how much time we know she’s spent with the three of you, and with what we know of Garou biology, she’ll be coming into her heat anytime over the next week. Hopefully, she either manages to escape her abductors and find her way to one of you, or her friend, or the abductors realize an unclaimed Omega going through her first heat without her Alpha is more trouble than it’s worth and they decide to surrender her to the police. If that is the case, we will contact you immediately. If she finds her way to you, please call us straight away.”

“Yes, of course,” Michael and Tom agreed. 

“Shall we have James get in touch with you, when he gets here? He’ll be coming over after he’s done with an interview and photo shoot later this afternoon. We’d been meeting, trying to decide how to approach Zarina’s reluctance towards us, over the last few days. Since yesterday, we’ve been mostly sitting here, waiting for Luke to call and let us know you’ve found her.” Tom explained as the officers began collecting their things and stood from the table. 

“Yes, that would be best,” Constable Miller stated. He handed Tom his card. “Thank you for your time. We’ll update you when we learn or hear anything.”

“Try to have a good day, Mr. Hiddleston. Mr. Fassbender. Thank you, Mr. Windsor.” 

After showing the two officers out, Luke made his way back into the kitchen.

“How are you two doing with all of this?” Luke asked. He knew his client and friend well enough to know Tom was hiding something, but not quite well enough to figure out what.

A loud  _ Thump!  _ from the basement startled the three, but Tom quickly waved it off. “The dryer is off level and has a tendency of bumping into the washer.”

~~~~~~~

Zarina stood with her ear against the door for quite a long time, or so it felt. In truth it was only about five minutes before she heard voices. Muffled, distant voices, but there were people in the kitchen, just up the stairs outside the room. Zarina pulled back from the door, brought her hands up in fists, ready to pound on the door. But for some unexplainable reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Turning from the door, she looked at the daybed.  _ What if the guests don't help her. What if no one hears her, or worse, Tom and Michael convince the others her banging was nothing to be concerned about.  _ Thoughts ran through her mind endlessly. Would they really tie her to the bed, as punishment? She wasn’t sure how far they would go to demonstrate their dominance, but she was becoming less interested in finding out.  _ What could the reward be? _ She found herself wondering, suddenly. Wait, what? Why would such a thing spark her curiosity? A reward, really? But what could it be?

Frustrated with her uncontrolled thoughts, Zarina stomped her way into the bathroom. She tried to ignore the weird feelings she was having. One half of her wanted to protest, to bang on the door, scream and throw a tantrum fit for a toddler in the hopes someone would hear her and rescue her. The other part of her was worried what her Alpha’s would do if she did that. For some reason, she didn’t want to disappoint them. She was afraid to anger them. Something in her very soul told her she wanted to be, no, needed to be their good girl. So she stood in the bathroom, struggling against the warring emotions while washing her face, brushing her teeth and brushing her hair. Zarina finished getting washed and went into the main room to get dressed. After setting out her clothes on the bed, the sight of leftover bacon on the table in the kitchenette called to her. Zarina grabbed a slice and leaned against the counter to eat it. As she finished, she turned to the sink to wash her hands when a spider ran across the counter surface. Zarina shriek in fright and stumbled back, tripping against a chair at the table and tumbling to the floor with the chair with a loud bang. 

It wasn’t too long after that Tom and Michael opened the door and found Zarina pounding a shoe against the kitchenette counter. A chair was on the floor, one of its legs cracked. 

When she heard the door open, she whirled around, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it.” She immediately put the shoe on the floor. 

“What happened?” Michael demanded in a tone that had Zarina flinching away in fear. 

“There was a spider,” Zarina said quietly. She gestured to the sink and counter. “It ran across when I was washing the grease off my fingers. I swear I didn’t mean to scream. Or trip over the chair. I just... spiders scare the hell out of me and I just reacted. I’m sorry. I promise I wasn’t trying to get anyone’s attention.” The more she spoke, the small her voice seemed to become until it was nothing but a soft whisper and her eyes were downcast, clearly frightened of the men’s reactions.

Several tense minutes passed before anyone spoke. And when Tom finally did, it made Zarina jump. 

“Did you find the spider, then?” he asked.

Zarina nodded sheepishly, still unable to look up at the two imposing figures in front of her.

“Well, there’s that. Did you hurt yourself when you tripped?” Michael asked, sound a bit less angry.

“I fell and hit my head on the foot of the table. And the chair fell on top of me, hitting me on the arm,” Zarina explained. Her voice had begun to waver just a bit and it was clear she was upset. 

“Oh, Pixie, it’s alright,” Tom said gently. He slowly walked to where his mate was standing. “I believe you. I know you tried very hard to be our good girl. Sometimes, things just happen. It wasn’t your fault a spider got in here. It’s okay. We’re not upset with you.” Tom wrapped his arms around the trembling girl in front of him and looked over at Michael. “Are we?”

Michael’s face and posture relaxed immediately. “No, of course not. You did everything we asked. The little thump we heard was easily explained away and nothing is amiss.” When Tom released Zarina Michael came up behind her and embraced her lovingly. “It’s okay, Morsel. No punishment required.” 

Upon hearing those words, both men noticed their small Omega visibly relax. They shared a knowing look before offering to look at Zarina’s arm and head. 

“A little bruising on the arm, but no bumps on the head. I think you’ll survive,” Tom informed her. “We have some cleaning up to do in the kitchen from our guests. While we’re gone, you can get dressed and when we get back we can think of some sort of treat, since you were such a good girl for us. How does that sound?”

“Okay.” Zarina went to the bed where her clothes were waiting. “Can you bring me something caffeinated to drink, please. Caffeine helps with the headaches.”

“Of course, Morsel, anything you need.” Michael grabbed the broken chair and set it next to the door, waiting for Tom.

“We’ll be back in a bit.” Tom kissed her forehead before walking to the door.

“Thank you, Si....” Zarina stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say, grabbed her clothes and rushed into the bathroom. 

~~~~~~

The two actors stood in the kitchen, upstairs, putting the used mugs in the sink and talking.

“Mate, you really need to calm down with her. You cannot get so forceful with her, yet,” Tom finally said. He looked over at Michael, who was wrapping tape around the cracked leg of the chair. “She’s still new to all of this. To being an Omega finally belonging to someone. To our lifestyle. We are finally breaking through to the instinctual Omega and if you keep being so forceful and aggressive with her, you’re going to mess up all we’re working for.”

“I know. Really. But it’s so... I just...” Michael sighed. “I’m trying.”

“Remember, we want to  _ bend _ her to our will, not break her.”

Michael nodded in understanding. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was close to noon. James wouldn’t be back for another couple hours. And supposedly he had something special for Zarina of his own. 

“What are you thinking for her reward for being well-behaved while we had guests?” Michael asked.

“I was thinking of a two part reward, something small for now but that can be built on. Something we can use as a test,” Tom explained. 

“Such as?”

“What if we bring her up here for lunch. Just to the kitchen. And tell her that if she follows the rules and doesn’t fight us when it’s time to go back down stairs, she’ll get stay up here longer tomorrow.”

“And if she continues to behave, we’ll take her out to the back garden for an afternoon,” Michael suggested.

“Yes! Great idea. She’d love that. And the garden is all walled off for privacy so no one will see her.”

Upon entering the basement room again, Tom and Michael found Zarina dressed, lying on the bed, watching TV. Michael set a drink on the table next to the bed and sat on the bed next to Zarina’s feet. 

“Morsel, are you ready for some lunch?”

“Yes, thank you.” But when Zarina looked over at the table, she was confused to see no food on the table.

“You behaved so well earlier, including telling us the truth when you made noise, that we want to take you up stairs to the kitchen for lunch,” Tom explained. Immediately, Zarina sat up with excitement.

“But there will be some rules, Morsel.” Michael put a finger under her chin and turned her head so she was facing him. “First, you are to stay in the kitchen, where we can see you. You will stay away from the windows and doors. If we tell you to do something, you will do it without hesitation or question. You will stay calm, quiet and cooperative.” His voice was stern and void of emotion. 

“Yes, okay. I promise!” Zarina was thrilled at the idea of seeing something other than this room. To have just a bit more freedom. She was willing to agree to almost anything.  _ Wait, what just happened?  _ She thought. 

“Okay, Pixie, come on. Let’s get some lunch.” 

Tom lead Zarina and Michael out of the room and up into the kitchen. She hadn’t had much concern for the layout or decor of the room the day before when she had tried to escape. But now that she had a chance to take it in, it felt like a kitchen Tom would cook in. Very open and spacious. Lots of counter space, provided mainly by a split level island in the center and a breakfast bar that L’ed out and broke up the area between the kitchen and an informal dining room. Michael had Zarina sit on a tall stool at the island while he and Tom began making sandwiches. 

The three ate their lunch at the breakfast bar. Michael and Tom explained to Zarina that she would receive more freedom and privileges as long as she continued to behave. When they both called her their ‘Good Girl’, for just a split second her brain wanted nothing more than to please them enough to hear them call her that as often as possible.

_ What? No! Not good girl. Abducted and held against my will woman. What the hell are they doing to me? _

Tom was just about to tell her about taking her out to the garden when they heard the front door open. 

“I thought you locked it,” Michael snapped in a low voice.  

“I did. All the doors!” Tom shot back.  

Michael grabbed Zarina’s arm and tugged her off the stool with the intention of taking her swiftly back down to her basement confines. But a very shocked sounding voice coming from the dining room stopped them all in their tracks.


	8. Chapter Eight: The Pro's and Con's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovely readers! Here is the next chapter. I had fun writing it, but had a bit of trouble figuring out how Zarina would bring up her List, so hopefully this works.  
> I think I am going to try to update this story weekly, on Mondays. I was thinking of trying for Friday, but that just wasn't working out. So Mondays it is. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

_There was an annoying buzzing near Zarina’s head, making her pillow vibrate. She reached under her pillow and pulled out her phone. Pushing the button, she saw the time was just after seven in the morning. Groaning, she swiped across the screen and found a notification that she had some new messages._

_T: Good morning, Pixie. Hope you slept well._

_With a groan, Zarina shoved the phone back under her pillow, but got no relief when it went off again._

_M: Rise and shine, Morsel! Carl will be around at 8:45 to bring you to breakfast._

_“Oh my god,” Zarina whined quietly. She shoved the phone back under the pillow. “It’s too early for this shit.”_

_“What shit?” Sophie mumbled as she rolled over to face her friend, whose face was buried under the blankets._

_“They’re trying to highjack my day, again. They’re sending a car around to bring me to breakfast at nine.”_

_Sophie giggled, causing Zarina to pelt her with a pillow. Then her phone buzzed again._

_“I bet that’s James,” Zarina grumbled._

_J: Good morning, sweet Baby Doll! Don’t forget to pack your bags and bring them with you. You probably won’t be back to your hotel before checkout._

_T, M & J: Can’t wait to see you!_

_“For the love of... why did this have to happen?” Zarina complained. She kicked the covers off and sat up. Sophie groaned, grabbed the blankets and pulled them around her head._

_Z: Morning. I make no promises on getting out of here on time. My roommates are jerks and kept me up far too late. See you soonish._

_Zarina stumbled her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She hastily took a shower, combed out her long, dark hair and put on a bit of makeup. She made her way back into the main room, towel wrapped securely around her chest and began searching for the dress she had planned to wear that day. It was 8:32 when Zarina looked at the clock. Less than fifteen minutes to pack and get downstairs. She looked around the room, realizing her friends had come back last night in a drunken haze and pretty much buried her suitcase and her clothes under their own things._

_“Fifteen minutes is not going to be enough time,” she whispered, rubbing a hand over her face in distress. Her friends were still sleeping off their night and she didn’t feel like trying to wake them up to help her clean._

_She was rummaging around under the table for her shoes when the room phone rang. Jeremy answered it, half a sleep._

_“Okay, I’ll tell her.” He hung up the phone and Zarina immediately heard him start to snore again._

_My ride’s here, she thought. She crammed the rest of her things into the suitcase, buckled on her shoes, grabbed her purse, put her keycard on the table, and left the room._

_She checked the time on her phone as she made her way to the front doors. Five to nine. Somehow, she knew her tardiness was not going to go over well with the three Alpha’s, after what she’d learned last night._

_“Ms. Poe, everything alright?” Carl, the driver from the night before, asked as he opened the rear passenger door for Zarina. After the door was open, he took her suitcase and put it in the trunk for her._

_“Yeah, just running late,” she sighed._

_The drive to the hotel was a bit longer than it normally would have been as traffic was terrible. Zarina received three messages, one from each actor, asking if she was alright._

_Z: I swear I’m in the car, traffic is bad._

_No responses. That could be a good thing. Or a really bad thing, she thought._

_When she finally arrived in the underground parking garage of the Hyatt, Carl assured her her suitcase would be waiting for her behind the desk in the lobby when she was ready. Zarina made her way up to the lobby, and found the elevators to get to the floors. Carl had told her the room number for Tom’s suite._

_With a deep breath, Zarina knocked on the door to Tom’s suite, then looked at the time on her phone. 9:13am._

_When the door opened, Zarina had to fight the urge to turn around and bolt down the hallway. Tom, Michael and James were all standing there, looking less than pleased._

_“Morning,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted._

_“Good morning, Zarina. Please come in,” Tom said, moving aside to let the small woman past._

_“You’re late,” Michael said hautly. His arms were crossed in front of him and there was a deep scowl on his face._

_“Well, it was a rough night, and a hard wake up. Jeremy and Tim are incredibly messy and I think the girl Sophie brought back this morning left with my T-shirt because I couldn’t find it anywhere. And then traffic within those few blocks was...” Zarina’s nervous ramblings trailed off as she turned around to look at the three men standing behind her. James looked mildly shocked. Tom looked fairly confused. And Michael looked like he wanted to continue scolding her. “Um... I’m sorry?”_

_“Accepted. Next time we’ll know to set an alarm for you, and check in to make sure things go more smoothly,” Michael said._

_“What?” Now it was Zarina’s turn to be confused. “Next time?”_

_“We went ahead and ordered breakfast. We just ordered enough of several dishes so everyone can take whatever they prefer,” James interrupted, seeing the signs that things were about to get heated and needed to be defused._

_“Thank you,” Zarina replied, still eyeing Michael’s body language. He seemed irked by something more than just her tardiness, but she couldn’t figure it out._

_“Please, have a seat. We can talk while we wait for room service to arrive,” Tom said, gesturing to the small table in the room’s small kitchenette area._

_“You look nice, by the way, Baby Doll,” James smiled as he pulled out a chair for Zarina._

_Zarina was wearing a River Tam cosplay dress she’d designed and had made at the boutique shop for which she modeled. It was a thin strapped, flowy, knee length olive green color with very little frill or embellishments. Her long dark hair was left loose and unruly, the braids from the night before adding move to the mess of waves she normally had. The finishing touch was her calf length, round-toe front lace boots. Her makeup was subtle, in keeping with the character._

_“Oh, thank you.”_

_“I hope it’s not offensive, but I feel like I’ve seen that dress and boot combination somewhere. Is it from a movie?” Tom asked._

_Smiling, Zarina nodded. “Yeah, it’s my cosplay design off River Tam’s outfit during the final battle in Serenity.”_

_“I don’t think I’m familiar with that movie,” Michael admitted._

_“Serenity is the incredible movie follow-up to Joss Whedon’s masterpiece that is Firefly. River Tam is one of the four female characters.”_

_“I guess I’ll have to watch it,” Michael smiled. But his smile didn’t seem to touch his eyes._

_“Well, I guess there is a lot for us to discuss before we all have to head out, so let’s just jump in,” Tom started, deciding to change the direction of the conversation. “I have to be back in Australia to continue filming tomorrow. But I’ll have a couple of weeks coming up in the next couple of months off, so perhaps we can arrange some visits? Where are you guys heading after the Con?”_

_James and Michael both explained they had a little time off between films and theater and would be going back to London for a few weeks._

_“So, perhaps we can find a time to schedule a visit? We can come to Wisconsin, if that would be easier,” James said, hopefully._

_Zarina took a moment before answering. She truly wasn’t sure how to tell them she had no interest in having them visit her, or her visit them. How could she explain to them that she had a list, an actual list on her phone, of the Pro’s and Con’s of this whole mess, and that Con’s won. Then something occurred to her._

_“Wait, didn’t I see somewhere that you’re dating someone?” she asked Tom._

_“Well, yes, I am. I mean, I was. But I called her Friday night and explained that I’d found my Mate and we ended things amicably. She’s not Garou, so she knew there was a chance this would happen.”_

_“Okay,” Zarina took a breath. “I’m not sure that was a good idea. Because this,” she waved her hand to indicate the four of them. “This is not going to happen. I’m sorry the Universe did this to you, but it’s a very big mistake. There is no way this is going to work in favor of a Happily-Ever-After...”_

_“I think it’s a little early to know that,” Tom said, cutting her off. “We’ve only just met, it’s true. But by Nature’s Law, you’re our Soulmate. Our Omega. Each one of us has your name inked on our skin. Our names are on yours. You can’t deny it and you can’t fight it.”_

_“There’s no running away from this. It’ll be complicated at first, and require some getting used to, but it’s done,” James stated._

_“You belong to us, now,” Michael said._

_Zarina just looked at the three men sitting around her. What was happening? She was trying very hard to stay calm and in control of her emotions, while these three were getting quite upset. Her stomach started twisting, nervously. She didn’t like confrontations. She really didn’t want to be rude to these men, as she could, kind of see where they were coming from. Any other Omega would be head over heels to discover her Alpha would be just one of these guys, but she gets all three. And Zarina understood that Alpha’s have a fierce instinctual desire to find their Omega, their Soulmate. But she knew, knew in the deepest recesses of her very being, that she would never be a good enough Omega for these Alpha’s. In her mind, she saw this as an injustice to them. But clearly, she wasn’t conveying that very well._

_“Look, I appreciate that you want to give this bullshit a try. I don’t blame you. But it can’t be me. I hate that I’m an Omega, and I have never ever wanted to find my Alpha’s. Seriously, this would have been completely avoided if Sophie’s girlfriend hadn’t just broken up with her and Sophie hadn’t given me her tickets. I wasn’t supposed to be here this weekend. We would never have met!” She was trying, and failing, to keep her voice controlled and calm._

_“But we did meet. You are here! It’s not coincidence, you coming to our lines, one after another, in the very same order as your marks,” Tom exclaimed. He was fighting to stay calm, but his eyebrows had started to knit together in an angry scowl._

_“There are so many reasons this just won’t work!” Zarina decided to try a different direction. She had a clear list she’d written before she had gone to sleep._

_“Okay, Zarina, let’s take a breath and hear your list. Perhaps, after we hear your concerns, we can talk things out.” James was the only one successful in remaining calm and collected. He looked over at Zarina with gentle eyes. “Please, what are your concerns?”_

_Zarina ran her hands over her face, taking several deep breaths to steady her nerves. She pulled her phone from her pocket and opened her writing app. Looking up at the three men, she realized the only way she was going to get through with this was by not looking at them. James actually looked hurt at her having an actual list. Tom looked like a kicked puppy. And Michael looked down right angry. So she quickly looked back to her phone screen, trying to ignore the cluster of butterflies nesting in her stomach._

_“Con’s include; the three of you living in London whereas I live in Wisconsin, that’s quite a long distance for any relationship to suffer; your fame gives little to no room for privacy; you are all clearly comfortable with a certain amount of luxury that just makes me uncomfortable; there is 15, 13 and 11 years between my age and yours; there are three of you and one of me, I have no idea how that will work for anyone’s sanity or happiness as far as a relationship goes; as actors your careers require a lot of your time- filming, premiers, galas, other events and then there’s your charity works; then there’s the crazy fans and finally, something that’s been weighing on my mind since I learned about it last night, you’re Doms.”_

_She heard a collective intake of breath at her last statement and decided it would be safe to look up at them._

_“I had a feeling that’s what you ladies were discussing last night,” Tom finally said. He didn’t sound bothered by her revelation. Zarina couldn’t really discern what any of them were thinking at this point, their expressions unreadable._

_It was several tense minutes before anyone spoke again, leaving Zarina to chew on her lip._

_The knock at the door seemed to startle all four of them out of whatever thoughts had been going through their minds._

_“That would be breakfast. Stay seated, Pixie, we’ll get it.”_

_The three actors left the small table. Tom answered the door and let the server in with his cart and food trays. Michael and James both started making room on the kitchenette counter before standing aside to let the server set everything up. Zarina wasn’t very hungry, what with the butterflies filling up her stomach and her nerves twisting what remaining room there was into knots. But she eyed the coffee carafe like it was her only lifeline. As soon as Tom closed the door behind the leaving server, she was out of her seat, pouring herself a cup of coffee and spooning in sugar to her taste._

_“Easy, there, Morsel, it’s going to be really hot.” Michael reached out to take the cup from her hands, but the glare she shot him had him stopping in mid reach._

_“I was up until four this morning. It’ll be safer for you to back away from my caffeine.” She didn’t intend to snarl at him, but she was tired and couldn’t help herself._

_“But you left the party around one, what kept you up, Baby Doll?”_

_They were back to calling her their preferred annoying pet names. Apparently, they’d calmed down a bit. Maybe the fact that food was finally present helped their moods._

_“I was just starting to fall asleep around one-thirty when Sophie, Jeremy and Tim came back to the room. And despite my threats, they all brought someone back to the room.” Zarina took a gulp of coffee. “No, actually, let me clarify, Sophie brought back a man and his fiance, while Jeremy and Tim brought back some Halfling.” She finished the coffee and began pouring herself more before she saw the look on their faces. Each one seemed completely distracted from making up their plate of food, the information she’d just given them seeming, maybe, more than they’d wanted to hear. She couldn’t help the giggle that spilled from her, until she splashed the hot coffee from her mug onto her hand._

_Upon hearing her yelp, all three men snapped out of their distracted thoughts and turned to find Zarina putting the mug on the counter. Michael was next to her in a second, a dish towel in hand. He began gently wiping the coffee from her skin. James turned on the sink faucet and let the luke warm water run, while Tom took the offending coffee mug and began cleaning the drips from the outside._

_“I’m fine, it wasn’t even that hot,” Zarina whined when Michael pulled her hand under the running water. “Seriously, leave it alone.” She pulled her hand from Michael’s grasp, wiped the water off on a paper towel and began looking for her coffee._

_“I told you to be careful,” Michael scolded. Zarina scoffed, and rolled her eyes, which caused Michael’s jaw to tense. He went to take a step towards her, to reprimand her disrespect, but James saw what was coming and stepped between the two. He shot Michael a look that clearly stated, ‘calm down, she doesn’t know the rules yet.’ Zarina hadn’t paid much attention to the interaction, too preoccupied with finding her drink._

_“You should eat something, Morsel.” It was more of an order than a request, said in a strained sort of voice._

_“Okay, you know what, this whole bossy thing needs to stop,” Zarina snapped. She hadn’t meant to say it as irritably as she had, but everything was just starting to pile up on her. And when she saw the expression on Tom’s, James’s and Michael’s faces, she knew she’d said the wrong thing._

_“Sit down, Zarina,” Michael said in a stern, grave voice that gave no room to argue. Sitting, Zarina watched Michael, Tom and James make up their own plates and set them on the table. “What do you like?” Zarina looked over the available foods and told him what she’d like, watching as he made her plate up. He set her plate in front of her before taking a seat himself._

_“Let’s go over each one of your Con’s and discuss why you’ve labeled these as concerns, alright?” James started._

_As she spent more time around these men, she was becoming more aware of certain personality traits, making mental notes of how they approached certain topics, what seemed to set them off and what seemed to please them. James seemed to have a knack for reading Michael, and knew when to intervene for the mental comfort of all involved with the conversation. Tom was gradually showing his true nature, a bit possessive and quick to react. Michael’s tendencies were starting to scar her, however. He was very domineering and assertive. Clearly, he expected certain things from his Omega already and was not pleased to see her acting this way._

_“Good idea,” Tom agreed. “Let’s start with the easiest to get around, age. Yes, we are a bit older than you, but that really had no merit on a relationship, especially Garou. Now, if you were not of legal, consenting age, that might be a different story, but you are twenty-four. There is no law in any society that I know of that says our age differences should stop us from being together.”_

_Zarina couldn’t really argue. She wanted to, but she had to admit she only put that concern on the list to lengthen it. Apparently, Tom figured that out._

_“As for us living in London and you in the States, that can easily be solved by you moving to London,” James said as if it were the most obvious idea._

_“Um, what?” Zarina balked. “I have no interest in moving to London. I like living in Wisconsin, it’s where my jobs and friends are. Who are you to make such a decision for me?”_

_“You can hardly expect the three of us to pick up and move to Wisconsin,” Michael said._

_“No, I can’t, because I don’t. I don’t expect anything of you. That’s the whole reason the distance is a concern. I’m not moving, I don’t expect you to move, and how dare you expect me to move!”_

_“Okay, let’s table this topic for now,” James said. “I think it requires more time to discuss than we currently have. Moving on...”_

_“Fine, let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” Zarina was getting hot now. This whole things was pushing every single one of her buttons and she needed to at least talk about this specific topic before she became so mad she stormed out of the room. “What the hell does it mean that you are Doms?”_

_That questions caught the three actors off guard._

_“What?” Tom finally asked, confusion and surprise very evident in his face._

_“The ladies last night were extremely vague about the whole thing. I got the impression it’s something sexual in nature and is a large part of why you are so bossy and pushy and rude.”_

_The stern, almost angry look melted off Michael’s face so quickly, Zarina wasn’t sure she should be glad to see it gone, or scared she’d said something worse. Then he started laughing. Actually laughing._

_“You’re not a Sub?” he said, taking a breath to reign in his uncomfortable laughter._

_“I have no idea what that question means. Again, all they told me was that was short for Submissive. And I have no idea what that adjective has to do with me.” Her meal was completely forgotten as she tried to stay calm._

_“You’re not a Sub,” Tom reiterated, seemingly shocked._

_“The answer to that has not changed in the last ten seconds,” she sighed, rubbing her face._

_“Well, that explains a lot,” James breathed._

_“I’m sorry, Pixie, I believe we were under the impression you are a Sub.” Now Tom was chuckling._

_“Why? Why are people assuming this of me? The ladies last night thought I was a Sub. And this whole time, since we met, the three of you have been thinking the same thing?”_

_James put his hands up with his palms out, trying to seem reassuring. Michael began rubbing his lips with his index finger, trying to hide his smirk. Tom ran his hands through his hair._

_“Sorry, Pixie,” Tom started. “So you are really not familiar with the Dominant Submissive lifestyle?” His only response was a low groan from the exasperated Omega sitting across from him. “Okay. Yes, we are Doms. Each with his own preferences, but we can get into that later. And the reason I assumed you were a Sub was because as an Alpha I was always lead to believe that my Omega would be my perfect match.”_

_“Same here. Every Alpha I’ve ever met who has found his Omega always said they were exactly what they’d always needed in their life. I mean, that’s the point of a Soulmate, after all, right?” Michael explained. “Naturally, I assumed my Soulmate would be the perfect Sub for me.”_

_“Same here,” James agreed._

_“Okay, well, then this is the perfect reason why this will never work! I am not a Sub. Plus, I seriously doubt any of you ever imagined sharing your sub with another Dom.”_

_“Yes, there is that. The sharing bit will require quite a bit of discussion and work on our part,” Michael admitted._

_“But the Sub part, well, now that I think about it, that could be quite advantageous.” The sudden change in Tom’s expression was noticeable. There was excitement flashing in his eyes. “I always thought my Soulmate would be a Sub who already lived the lifestyle. Already trained, as it were. It never occurred to me that she would be perfect for me because she wasn’t.”_

_“What do you mean?” Zarina had a feeling this conversation, which she felt was starting to flow in her favor, was about to be dammed and sent back the other way._

_“It never occurred to me that my perfect Mate would be just that because I would get to teach you to become my perfect Sub. But it makes sense now!”_

_Tom’s excitement was suddenly contagious as the flash of eagerness moved through each man’s eyes. Subconsciously, they all three leaned forward, arms resting on the table around their forgotten plates._

_“Of course!” James’s smile was huge and enthusiastic. “That’s the only way sharing a Sub would work in a situation like this. We have to do this together!”_

No, no, no! Goddamn it! _Zarina silently cursed, not liking where this conversation was leading._

_“This opens up so many more possibilities.” For the first time that morning, Michael actually sounded both relieved and delighted. “I was picturing something more akin to a divorced family, where you’d splitting your time between us. But this, the idea of all three of us working together...”_

_“Like a family,” James interrupted jovially._

_“Like a pack,” Tom corrected._

_Zarina felt stuck, like she was watching this rather than living it. They were no longer talking to her about this very ridiculous situation, but talking to themselves and each other, discussing how to make it work, as if her opinion and input didn’t matter._

_“... the three of us could definitely afford a big enough place for all of us to live together. Maybe something just outside London with some land!” Tom mused._

_“... and she’s right, we are fairly busy guys, but with three of us, someone is bound to be home with her every night...” James said._

_“... our premiers don’t tend to stack against each others, so we won’t have to draw straws to see who she’d go with. And we all attend the same galas and London events, so we can go together like we did last night...” Michael explained._

_“... with some further details in place, setting up rules for the whole and the individual, and a bit of grooming, this will definitely work!”_

_Tom, Michael and James were so pleased with their little revelation, they didn’t even notice Zarina get up from the table. It wasn’t until she was at the door that they had gone silent._

_“Wait, where are you going, we aren’t done talking about this,” Tom called. The three men scrambled from their seats as they watched her wrench open the door._

_“Oh no, clearly, you don’t need me here to decide my own fucking future! The asshats have it all figured out, what do you need me here for?” She turned around just in time to see them stopping next to her and the open door._

_“You hijacked my fucking weekend, now you want to control my future, without any thought of my feelings on it. So I’ll just tell you my feelings on the matter. Fuck off! I am not your Mate! I am not you Omega! And I. AM. NOT. YOUR. SUB!” she shouted, not caring if anyone was in the hall or in the rooms next door. She was done, and she was leaving, and there was nothing they could do or say to stop her._

_Her outburst earned her a look of utter shock and disapproval from Tom, Michael and James. But it was enough to shut them up long enough for her to walk out the door, slamming it closed behind her._

_With the adrenaline still rocketing around in her system, Zarina rushed to the elevator, punching the button half a dozen times. Just as the doors opened for her, she heard a door open and three deep, accented voices call out her name. In a flash she shoved her finger against the doors close button and watched with a slight frown as the three men ran towards her and the elevator doors took their time closing. But they closed with just a second to spare and the car took her to the lobby. She retrieved her suitcase from the front desk, asked for the quickest route to the Con floor and left the Hyatt as fast as she could move._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are unfamiliar with Firefly, Serenity and River Tam, watch the show, then watch the movie and fall in despairing love with the masterpiece it is. Become one of us!


	9. Another Unexpected Visitor and Unwelcome Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out who the unexpected visitor is. And James bring his BabyDoll her surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is so late. July just got crazy and that craziness bled into August. But hopefully I can get back to all my stories with more regular updates. I hope this chapter isn't too boring.

_ “I thought you locked it,” Michael snapped in a low voice.  _

_ “I did. All the doors!” Tom shot back.  _

_ Michael grabbed Zarina’s arm and tugged her off the stool with the intention of taking her swiftly back down to her basement confines. But a very shocked sounding voice coming from the dining room stopped them all in their tracks. _

“Well, this is unexpected,” said a low, soft baritone voice.

Michael spun around, pushing Zarina behind him, effectively blocking her from sight. Tom had jumped from his seat to stand by Michael. Zarina took this moment to silently take a few steps away from her captors and towards what she knew was the back door. 

“Bloody hell, Ben,” Tom exhaled with relief as his tall, lanky friend entered the kitchen fully. “What are you doing here? How’d you get in?”

“I used my key,” James said as he walked up behind Benedict. He looked at the other two actors questioningly. “What’s going on?”

Letting out the breath he had been holding, Michael ran a hand over his face before answering. “We were having lunch with Zarina. Fuck, mate, you gave me a heart attack. I thought you were gone til after two?”

“I got done early,” James replied. “I sent you both a message. I met Ben outside the studio and we decided to come over together.”

She was just a few paces away from the door, now. There was a whole island between them and her. They had become so preoccupied with the appearance of Ben and James they hadn’t even noticed her moving away. 

“Did I see Zarina up here?” Ben asked, craning his head trying to see her around Michael and Tom. She had been walking backwards towards the door, keeping her eyes on the four men, just in case. When Ben finally caught her eye, he recognized what she was doing immediately. But instead of saying anything to warn her Alpha’s, he simply shook his head slightly, hoping to warn her away from such an escape attempt. It worked. She recognized the gesture for what it was and took a couple quick steps back around the island before Michael turned to find her.

“Yes, she is,” Michael said proudly. He held out his hand, gesturing for her to come back to him. She hesitated, still watching Ben. But Michael misread the expression on her face, assuming she was worried about Ben’s knowledge of her being there, instead of his intentions with not raising the alarm and warning her back. 

“It’s alright, Morsel,” Michael cooed reassuringly. “Ben knows what’s going on. He’s going to help us in a couple days when our schedules take us away from you.” He held his hand out, palm up, and wiggled his fingers, trying to invite Zarina to take it. When she took three steps to close the distance between her and Michael, he reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a firm squeeze as he pulled her to stand between him and Tom. Zarina could only nod, unsure of what to make of Ben’s presence. When she finally looked away from Ben, she caught James looking at her in concern, though she wasn’t sure why.

“Having lunch up here?” James asked, after the realization of their surroundings hit.

“Yes, our sweet girl was very good earlier when we had unexpected guests, and we decided to reward her,” Tom crowd, wrapping a long arm around her shoulders and hugging her into his side affectionately. 

“That’s wonderful to hear, Baby Doll.” James smiled brightly at her before looking at the other two alphas. “If lunch is finished, perhaps Ben can take Zarina back to her room while we clean the kitchen and have a quick chat.” The intention behind his words were clear. The mention of unexpected visitors had startled him and he wanted to know more. 

“Of course.” Michael retrieved at small key from his jeans pocket and handed it to Ben. “Make sure to lock the door when you’re in,” Ben nodded as he took the key. Zarina watched the transfer with great interest, concentrating on the key as it moved from one hand to the other. 

“I will,” Ben acknowledged. He smiled charmingly at Zarina as he held out his hand. Again, she hesitated to accept the hand offered to her. But Ben didn’t seem offended by her reluctance. He held up a paper bag. “Come on, I brought ice cream. We can go have a bowl while we wait for them to finish up with the cleaning. What do you say?”

Zarina’s eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream, even if was only for a second. She shifted on her feet, a silent indicator to Michael and Tom that she was going to extract herself from their embraces to go with their friend. Ben decided against trying to take her hand, and opted to instead open the basement door for her. 

“Ladies first,” he stated. Zarina glanced behind her, trying to read the faces of her three Alphas as she walked to the the top step. They all looked back her, small reassuring smiles fixed to their handsome faces. 

“We’ll be down in a few minutes, Pixie.” 

Zarina wasn’t sure what was going on, but everything suddenly felt more off than it had this morning. She was curious to know who had visited earlier and why Ben was in on their abduction scheme. And why he wouldn’t just tell the other Alpha’s that she had been trying to escape, again. With a heavy heart, Zarina walked down the stairs and waited in front of the door to her room. Ben followed behind, after closing the door at the top of the stairs. He reached up and turned the knob and the locks clicked open allowing him to push the door in. Zarina walked into the small, dark room and plopped herself, ungracefully onto the daybed. She watched Ben close and lock the door before moving about the small kitchenette. He found two bowls in a cabinet, and two spoons in a drawer and began dishing up some ice cream. After putting the container of ice cream in the small freezer, Ben brought the two dishes over to the daybed and handed one to Zarina. 

~~~~~~~

As they cleaned the kitchen and put away the leftover food, Tom and Michael told James about the visit from the officers and Luke, as well as Zarina’s little incident with the spider. 

“I'm relieved her headache seems to be going way,” James said. “And that she behaved for you. But what of the officers? Did they seem like they suspected anything?”

Michael shook his head. “Not even a little.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can relax,” Tom countered. “We still have to be extremely cautious when speaking about her. And we have to be sure we get everything right when it’s time to end this.”

Both James and Michael muttered an agreement. 

“I bet Zarina is giving Ben an ear full about the poor quality of the ice cream,” James said when the three were finished cleaning the kitchen. “We should get down there and save him.”

Michael looked at his watch. “I have to get going anyway. I’ll come down to say goodbye.” He opened the basement door. “Enjoy your evening with her.”

The three found their way down to the basement and let themselves into the room where they found Ben sitting in the rocking chair, two empty bowls on the coffee table and the door to the bathroom shut.

“She’s in there,” Ben indicated, pointing to the bathroom.

“How’s she doing?” Tom asked. 

“Not happy. But that’s to be expected. She really hasn’t said anything to me, accept Thank you, for the ice cream. I get the feeling my involvement in this makes her uneasy.”

“Well, this whole thing does,” Tom explained. “Are you staying for dinner?” 

“Just a quick visit today,” Ben said, shaking his head. “I promised Sophie I’d be home tonight to watch Christopher while she has a night out with her friends.”

When Zarina emerged from the bathroom and went straight to the daybed without a single word to her Alpha’s, Ben looked to the three questioningly.

Her whole demeanor had seemed to change, Tom and Michael realized. Where she had been in a rather cordial and pleasant mood upstairs, now she seemed sad and distance, not even making eye contact with anyone. Tom, Michael and James answered Ben’s unasked question with a shrug.

Michael remembered why he’d come down and decided to walk over to his quiet Omega lounging on the daybed. “Hey Morsel, I’m going to be leaving for the day. Be a good girl for Tom and James and I will see you tomorrow, alright?” 

Zarina knew she would be reprimanded if she didn’t answer him, so she slowly tore her eyes from the TV to look at Michael. “Okay,” she said quietly. With a smile, Michael leaned over her lounging body and kissed her on the forehead before getting up.

“I have no idea how late I’ll be tonight, so I’ll go back to mine after,” Michael explained to the others. “I’ll be back in the morning.” They said their goodbyes and Michael left.

“Is there any ice cream left?” Tom asked. Ben pointed to the freezer. Tom and James helped themselves before coming back to the little sitting area. “Scoot over, Pixie,” Tom requested. Despite her mood, Zarina scooted across the bed to rest against the arm of the bed, leaving the rest for the two to share. 

“I suppose you’re wondering what we meant when we said Ben was going to be helping us out in a few days,” James asked between spoonfuls of ice cream. Zarina glanced at Ben out of the corner of her eye. For some reason she couldn’t quite put a finger on, Ben’s presence made her very nervous, and suspicious. It was quiet for a few more seconds and Zarina realized James was waiting for some sign of acknowledgement from her. She turned her face just slightly to look at her two Alpha’s and nodded. Tom had noticed how Zarina kept glancing over at Ben. He could feel her apprehension and see the tension in her body.

“Unfortunately, all of our schedules got messed up for this weekend and now Tom, Michael and I won’t be around Sunday,” James continued. He set his empty bowl on the coffee table. Zarina was looking at James, giving him her full attention, so he smiled reassuringly. “But don’t worry, Baby Doll, Ben is going to be spending the day with you, to make sure you don’t get lonely and have anything you may need.”

“Oh.” Zarina looked from James to Tom, trying to figure out how to ask her next question. The news that Tom, James and Michael were going to be away all day on Sunday had her mind racing. “Where are you going to be?” 

“A few months back, I made arrangements to spend the day with my mum and Emma. Emma just finished filming and is finally back home for a while,” Tom explained as he set his empty bowl on the table next to James’s.

“I have a few things to take care of at the office, a TV spot to do for Split and another photoshoot.”

“And I believe Fassy is working on something for Assassin’s Creed,” Ben interjected. “Or was it that Alien movie he’s working on? And he’s got another interview, I think.”

“Sounds right,” Tom confirmed.

“Oh,” Zarina whispered. What she really wanted to do was demand how long Benedict had been in on their plan to abduct her. She wanted to ask how he could be alright with what they were doing. But she couldn’t bring herself to start that fight. Not now. But maybe she could ask just one more question. Because something about the whole situation felt just a bit off. “A-and why do I need a babysitter?”

“Not a babysitter, Pixie,” Tom said lightly. He watched her glance nervously, again out of the corner of her eye. There was something on her mind regarding Benedict, but she wasn’t willing to talk about it. “We’ll all be leaving before breakfast and back late after dinner.”

That was not an answer. Not a full one. And apparently Zarina’s facial expression told Tom she was waiting for the full explanation. He looked over a James, who nodded his head just slightly, before looking over at Ben, who just gave a small smile. 

“With us being gone all day, we want to ensure your safety. We don’t like the idea of you being alone down here all day, so when we realized our schedules were going to leave you all by yourself, we realized we’d need a friend to keep you company. In case something happens. In case you... have a... um... a bad... day.” Tom was stumbling through the last sentence as if he had forgotten what he was going to say. He was about to say, ‘In case you try something,’ but realized the implications would only start another fight over her being abducted and held in the room against her will. They had been having such a good morning and afternoon, her didn’t want to mess it up with a careless statement. Though it had been the main reason for them seeking Ben’s help in watching her.   

But Zarina, somehow, figured out the unsaid reason and couldn’t stop herself from getting upset. “I can take care of myself,” she bit out angrily. “And in case you forgot, you’re the reason I’m down here. If you’re so worried about my safety, unlock that door and let me leave.” She was sitting up straighter, whole body facing Tom and James, Ben forgotten in her rage. 

“Now, Pixie,” Tom admonished. He adjusted his own posture to face her more directly, while James looked ready to jump over him to sooth away her anger. Ben watched quietly from the chair, curiosity peaked. He had been itching to see how each Alpha interacted with their feisty little Omega. But he was also ready to intervene if necessary, recognizing a volatile situation when he saw it. “I know you did your best at taking care of yourself in the past, but now you have us. It is our job to take care of you, and that is what we plan to do. As for unlocking the door, I wish it were that simple. Nothing would make me happier than to be sitting upstairs, in our living room watching a movie. To be able to take you out to dinner or to a play. But things are different, now. And will remain as such for a while longer.” Tom had started gesturing with his hands as he spoke, and when he’d finished, his last gesture was to scratch at the barely-there whiskers along his jaw. He took a breath, looking back at James, who had managed to stay silent during Tom’s rebuke.

James cleared his throat, more as a way to move on from the topic rather than a way to get attention. “Michael and Tom told me about the incident today, and how well-behaved you were. Listening to their requests...”

“You mean obeying their commands,” Zarina grumbled, half hoping they wouldn’t hear her, half hoping they would. Having been staring at her lap for the last minute or so, she peeked up through her eyelashes to see if they had heard her. James and Tom were both giving her a disapproving look, confirming they had heard her snide, but accurate, remark. 

“I meant, staying quiet like they asked,” James amended, voice stern and unwavering. Zarina broke eye contact, looking back down at her lap to avoid the glare that came with that voice. “And despite that little hiccup yesterday, you have been a very good girl for us during this time of change. Tom said they were telling you that if you keep it up, you’ll get to spend more time upstairs with us, and that we might even be able to take you outside for a picnic in the back garden.” Zarina’s head shot up at the word outside and she looked almost excited. “Would you like that?”

Zarina looked from James to Tom, whose stern face had softened. “What’s the catch?”

Before James or Tom could answer, Ben’s phone started buzzing. Taking it out of his pocket, he checked his message. “It’s Sophie, I have to get going. It was nice to see you again, Zarina. I look forward to spending time with you Sunday. I’ll bring breakfast, and stuff for lunch and dinner. Do you like to cook?” Zarina nodded warily. “Maybe we can make dinner in the kitchen upstairs, if you’ve earned it in the meantime.” He looked beyond her to the two Alpha’s, both nodding in approval of his idea. “It’s settled, then. Be good and I will see you in a couple days. Guys, I’ll see myself out.”

A quick goodbye, and Benedict was gone. Tom locked the door with the key from his pocket before sitting in the rocking chair.

The subject of discussion before Benedict left had been dropped, and Zarina was unsure how to reopen it without possibly starting either another argument over her perceived behavior, or getting them started on the rules they’d been slowly hinting at and initiating over the last couple of days. As James asked her about her favorite books, Zarina started wondering if they didn’t want to bring up the previous conversation for similar reasons.

The rest of the day, before dinner, was dull. Tom and James seemed uneasy about something, which lead them to fill in the silent gaps of conversation with mindless chatter. Finally, after a few hours of television and meaningless conversation, Tom announced it was time to start making dinner. They both kissed Zarina on the forehead and cheek before disappearing through the door. Zarina found herself almost glad to hear the distinct click of the locks pushing into place.

She stood up and walked to the kitchenette to retrieve one of the bottles of water from the small fridge. As she slowly sipped, she began pacing back and forth.  _ I was so close _ , she thought.  _ The door was right there. If I moved just a little faster, I could have gotten out of the door before they even noticed I was gone.  _ Zarina stopped pacing.  _ Why didn’t I move faster? That’s twice now I’ve been in front of that stupid door. Why am I still here? _

There was this nagging voice slowly creeping into the back of Zarina’s mind. Some tiny little thing that was making her start to feel guilty about trying to escape. A little voice that made her heart feel heavy thinking about leaving them. 

“What is wrong with me?” she said exasperatedly, rubbing her hands down her face. She walked over to the daybed and flung herself face down on it, burying her face in the pillows. 

_ What could they possibly do if I wasn’t their good little girl,  _ she thought angrily.  _ What could be worse than this?  _ Sitting up, Zarina remembered Michael’s warning and threat from earlier in the day. He had threatened to tie her to the bed if she misbehaved. But she hadn’t misbehaved. She was quiet and did as they told her and was subsequently rewarded for it. They took her upstairs. They said she’d get the chance to be upstairs more often is she continued to behave as they request.  _ This could be my chance. I just need to play along,  _ she told herself. 

Zarina spent the next hour trying to figure out a way to make Tom, James and Michael believe she was starting to give in to them, but not over sell it. She didn’t want them to discover her ploy before she had the chance to use it for her benefit. If she could just get them to trust her enough to let her outside with few restrictions, she could make a run for it. She just had to push aside that annoying little voice. 

~~~~~~~~

“What was up with Zarina and Ben?” James asked as he and Tom fumbled around the kitchen. Tom had intended to go to the store earlier, but the appearance of the officers had messed with everyone’s plans, in some way. 

“What did you noticed?” Tom asked. “I think we should just get take away.”

“I’m alright with that.” James began rummaging around in the drawer where Tom kept take away menus. “She kept looking at him like she wasn’t sure what to make of him.”

“Like she was suspicious of why he was here. I have a feeling she’ll be giving him a hard time on Sunday,” Tom confirmed. 

The two decided on a place to order from and Tom went to get the food, leaving James to go down to sit with their mate. 

Zarina heard the room door unlock and watched as it was pushed open. James walked in with a perfectly wrapped garment box tucked under one arm and a matching gift bag hanging from his hand. He stepped into the room and set the two gifts on the table before locking the door behind him. With a big, excited smile, James brought the two gifts over to the bed. Sitting himself on the coffee table in front of Zarina, he gently placed the garment box in front of her. 

“I have something for you, Baby Doll,” he said merrily, blue eyes twinkling.

“I can see that,” Zarina mumbled, looking skeptically at the box. It was wrapped in a soft yellow paper with a delicate pink ribbon tied into a perfect bow at the corner. The bag, sitting next to James’s leg on the floor, was the same color yellow with a cute pink bunny on it. “What is it?” She looked up at James, ice green eyes flashing a mixture of curiosity and anxious excitement. Like a child unsure how to react to receiving a gift they weren’t expecting. 

“I saw it a few weeks back and had to get it for you,” James beamed. “Please, open it.” He thumped his finger on the box, looking at her expectantly.

Biting her lip, Zarina picked up the box. She couldn’t help feeling a little giddy at opening a present. James smiled wider when he noticed her growing enthusiasm at opening the present. He watched as she ran her fingers over the ribbon until they met the bow where she promptly pulled the ends to loosen it. Once the ribbon was removed, she curled her fingers under the fold of paper and tore it off. The garment box was taped shut on all four sides, so Zarina had to slide her thumb nail along it to cut it open. Lifting the lid off and setting it next to her on the bed, Zarina found two articles of clothing and two pieces of ribbon. The first article of clothing she pulled from the box was a soft, pink satin babydoll-styled nightie. She held it up to see the full garment. It was stunning, with a deep cut V-neck that was trimmed in a delicate black lace, thin adjustable straps, and a ruffle of black lace around the bottom. After her inspection, she set it in the lid next to her and looked up at James, who was smiling excitedly and gestured for her to continue. With an anxious sigh, Zarina removed the second article of clothing and gasped. It was a beautiful off-the-shoulder bohemian styled floor length dress in deep plum with a delicate champagne lace overlay and exquisite gold embroidery. 

Zarina folded the dress and set it back in the box before taking out the ribbons. They were simple cream colored pieces, measuring roughly a half inch thick and about eight inches long. Holding them in her hand, she looked at James for an explanation. 

“I would like you to wear the nightgown on nights you spend with me,” James started. “I know it’s just one, but in time I hope to fill your dresser with lots of pretty nightwear and dresses. The ribbons are for your hair.” James leaned forward, taking a bit of her hair and wrapping it around his finger. “To put your beautiful hair in those adorable twintails I love so much.” 

“And the dress? Where am I supposed to be wearing it?” she asked.

“You aren’t going to be in this room forever, Babydoll,” James said sweetly. “Here, open this one, now.” He quickly pulled the box off her lap and replaced it with the gift bag. Zarina pulled the pink and green tissue paper from inside the bag, revealing the top of a dark brown, fuzzy head. Extricating the object from the bag, Zarina looked at the adorable shaggy furred Teddy Bear. It’s hair was the same color as hers, and cuddly soft. Looking over the top of the bears head, she couldn’t hide her smile. 

“Thank you, it’s very sweet,” she said shyly. 

“I’m glad you like it, Babydoll.” He shuffled the bag and tissue paper off the bed and moved to sit next to her, wrapping his arm around her and hugging her to his chest. “When everything is settled, and we move into the new home, we’ll have your Teddy Bear collection brought here and we can set up a very nice bedroom for you.”

James’s statement made her freeze in his grip. It didn’t feel right, something about it hung heavily like a dark cloud in her mind. She slowly pulled away from James, looking up at him. 

“New home?”

  
“Aye, of course. Like we’ve planned, a nice big home, for all four of us.” James could see the conflicting emotions his words created flicker through her eyes. Confusion, anger, fear and something else. A new emotion she hadn’t shown before. One James was eager to stoke the embers of. With a smile, James began telling Zarina about all the possible things the three Alphas had started looking for in a new home. And Zarina sat next to him, trying not to imagine the beautiful home he was describing. Trying to ignore the unbidden feeling that was clawing at her heart. Then she remembered her new mantra,  _ I just need to play along _ .


	10. Chapter Ten: Darths and Actors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't know who the 501st Legion is, here is a link to their website: https://www.501st.com/ . Someday, I would love to be involved in this organization! A Togruta is the Alien species of Ahsoka Tano from the Clone Wars TV series. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Togruta   
> Hope you all enjoy this little chapter.

_ The near constant buzz of her phone drove Zarina to turn it off. She had no interest in viewing or even answering her messages from the three actors. She was done with them and their demanding nature. She was so irate from the terrible breakfast encounter she didn’t even notice a man calling out her name. It wasn’t until she felt a hand wrap around her elbow that she was snapped from her raging thoughts. Whirling around, fist raised and ready to strike, Zarina expected to see one or all of her Alpha’s. Instead, she found a very alarmed looking man.  _

_ “Oh, Mister Downey, I am so sorry,” she said, dropping her arm suddenly. _

_ A sly, knowing smile spread across the man’s carefully groomed face. “Please, call me Rob. And it’s no harm. I have a feeling the person that left jab was meant for may have deserved it.” _

_ The Iron Man superstar let go of Zarina’s elbow. “Um, Rob, was there something you needed?” Zarina finally asked. _

_ Robert’s smile turned sheepish. “I just got a call from Tom asking me to come up to his hotel room. He didn’t say much more, but he sounded rather upset. Guess he called Hemy and Benny, too.” He pointed behind her to two large men walking towards them. Zarina sighed. She was in the underground walk way leading from the hotel to the convention center, and it was fairly barren, but now she was about to encounter two more people she had no interest in talking to. She knew why Tom contacted them. All three were well known Garou Alpha’s, each with his own mate. And all were friends with at least two of her three Alpha’s. These men were called to help justify their decisions. Just what she needed. _

_ “Hey Girly,” Chris Hemsworth smiled. “I understand you’re giving the boys some trouble.” _

_ Zarina rolled her eyes but didn’t get a chance to reply. _

_ “What happened? Tom said things were going great last night,” Benedict said, sounding a little concerned. _

_ “Yeah, sure. Until they turned into possessive, demanding jerks. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a con to get to.” Zarina tried to duck around the Thor actor, but a quick side step stopped her. _

_ “But they’re your Alpha’s. Aren’t you happy to have found them?” Rob asked, clearly confused. He was standing behind her when she turned to speak with the other two actors. But now he moved to stand next to them. _

_ “They are beside themselves with joy at having found you,” Chris explained, sincerely. _

_ “That’s great for them. But no, I am not thrilled to have found my Alpha’s.” Again, she attempted to walk around the three, but was stopped by Benedict holding out a hand. _

_ “Wait, tell us what happened. Maybe we can help,” Benedict tried. _

_ “Because a bunch of Alpha’s are really going to understand,” Zarina snapped a little more harshly than she meant. _

_ The look on the three men’s faces was that of shock. Omega’s did not typically speak to Alpha’s with such disrespect. All three opened their mouth to speak when the sound of mechanical breathing distracted everyone from their discussion. _

_ “Ms. Poe?” said a deep, dark, raspy voice from behind Zarina. Chris, Benedict and Rob all looked rather stunned by the presence standing behind her. _

_ Letting out an irritated sigh, Zarina turned around, about to reply but immediately closed her mouth. She nodded her head in reverence. “Lord Vader.” _

_ The black clad figure of Darth Vader stood, intimidatingly tall in front of her. Behind him were two men in Imperial Officer garb and a handful of Stormtroopers. _

_ “Ms. Poe, I was told you would know where to find Darth Luna. We require her assistance, immediately,” Darth Vader explained. _

_ “Oh, of course. Yes, I can find her for you. Where shall I have her meet with you?” _

_ “Green Room in Hall H. But I will escort you, to ensure your arrival on time.” Darth Vader stood, waiting for a reply or some visible sign that she understood and she would go with him. When she nodded, he gestured subtly with his hand, in the direction of the convention center. _

_ Zarina turned back to the three actors, a smug smile set on her face. “Well, boys, it’s been fun. But the Dark Side calls. Tell those asshat Alpha’s to leave me the hell alone. Ta!” And she walked down the corridor next to Darth Vader, with the Imperial Officers and Stormtroopers following close behind. _

_ Rob, Chris and Benedict were still trying to come up with something to say when Zarina began walking confidently away. It wasn’t everyday the Dark Lord of the Sith walked away with a friends Omega. Even at a place like Comic Con, that seemed truly unusual. _

 

_ ~~~~~~~ _

 

_ “What took you so long?” Tom demanded as he ushered his friends into his suite.  _

_ “Calm down, we ran into your little Omega on our way over,” Chris explained. It was clear Tom, Michael and James were distressed by something. Michael had started smoking, which was annoying both James and Tom, as they had both been trying to quit. Tom was frantically typing away on his phone after he closed the door. And James was scrolling through a website on his laptop. When they heard Chris's excuse for being late, all three snapped their attention to him. _

_ “Where was she?” Tom asked, clearly concerned. Rob guessed he had been trying to message her and she wasn’t replying. _

_ “On her way over to the Con. We tried to talk with her, but...” Rob trailed off as he thought of how to explain the unusual occurrence. _

_ “But what? What did she say? Where did she go?” Michael demanded. _

_ “She didn’t really say much. Called you guys possessive, demanding jerks and asshats. I take it breakfast didn’t go well.” It was a statement. Benedict could clearly see their breakfast meeting didn’t fair well. “What happened this morning? Last night when you sent her back to her room, things looked to be going well.” _

_ “Well, I mean, she seemed a bit overwhelmed last night,” Rob said. “Like she felt a little out of place, but that was to be expected.” _

_ “What did you do? Oh, no wait, let me guess.” Chris looked at his friend knowingly. “You started talking about the future. How this was going to work with three to one. I bet you even started talking about her moving to London.” _

_ Tom lowered his eyes in guilt. James hung his head. But Michael looked determined. As if nothing was wrong with them talking about the future and her moving. _

_ “We got ahead of ourselves,” James explained, sheepishly. “We, or...I mean, I was just... this all just happened so fast. I couldn’t stop myself from trying to figure out what is going to happen once this weekend is over.” _

_ “It’s such an awkward situation.” Tom almost sounded like he was pleading with his friends to understand. “Such a surprise to meet her.” _

_ “I can understand that,” Benedict empathized. “To find your soulmate at a convention like this of all places. Then to learn you have to share her with two other guys. Yeah, that would be awkward and overwhelming at both ends.” Benedict eyed the three carefully before continuing. “So what are you going to do now? She’s headed back over to the convention center, and since she had her suitcase with her, I’m assuming she’s checked out of her room and will be leaving at some point today.” _

_ Michael visibly stiffened at the reminder that Zarina would be leaving. Tom had stopped pacing aimlessly around the room and had taken a seat across from Chris at the kitchenette table. James looked back at Benedict thoughtfully. _

_ “That’s right, you said you saw her on your way over,” James said. “Did she say where she was headed?” _

_ “Um, about that...” Rob took a breath, trying to come to terms with what he was about to say. It just sounded so weird. “Darth Vader took her.” _

_ His statement was met with blank stares. _

_ “What?” the three questioned. _

_ “Yeah, Darth Vader appeared with some officers and stormtroopers. They asked her to help them find someone and she left with them. It was all really weird. And I feel silly even saying it out loud. But it’s true. A guy dressed as Darth Vader walked up, asked her about another Darth and they left.” _

_ “Only at Comic Con does that statement sound... normal,” James joked. _

_ “And she acted so... I don’t know. Like she was familiar with him, or something. He told her to have the other Darth meet him in the Green Room of Hall H. Wait, what is happening in Hall H today?” Chris asked. _

_ No one seemed to know. But they all pondered what was going on that Zarina would be familiar enough with Darth Vader that he’d ask for her help. _

_ “Wait, she said she was going to see the 501st at noon. What time is it?” Michael asked. Everyone scrambled to check their watches or phones. _

_ “It’s quarter after eleven,” Rob answered. _

_ “We gotta get to Hall H,” Michael announced. _

 

_ ~~~~~~~ _

 

_ It was almost noon by the time the actors found themselves on the con floor. Luke had insisted they go through the back way to avoid the scream hoards. Emerging from the back hallway, the group found themselves close to the entrance of Hall H. They looked around, hoping to get a glimpse of the small Omega so they didn’t have to walk around aimlessly in search. Though Zarina wasn’t anywhere to be found, Tom did spot the next best thing. He recognized her from the club Friday night and Zarina’s hotel room Saturday night. Sophie, his Omega’s best friend. If anyone knew where to find his Mate, she would. _

_ “Excuse me, Sophie?” he said to get her attention as he walked up to her. _

_ Sophie, Jeremy and Tim all turned around to see Tom, Michael, James, Robert, Benedict and Chris approaching them from the back of the crowd. _

_ “Sophie, have you seen Zarina? She’s not answering her phone,” Tom explained. _

_ Sophie smiled. “I haven’t seen her in a while. But if you hang around and watch the show, I’m pretty sure you’ll find her!” _

_ “What show?” Chris asked. _

_ “Oh, dude, just wait! The 501st is going to be out soon and it’s going to be epic!” Jeremy nearly squealed with excitement. _

_ “What is the 501st?” James asked. _

_ “And what does that have to do with Zarina?” Michael sighed. _

_ Before anyone could explain what was going to happen, the lights in the lobby went out, the only remaining illumination coming from front windows and doors. There were quite a few in the crowd who looked elated and expectant, swiveling their heads looking for something. While the rest looked confused and possibly even a little panicked. Tom looked down at Sophie, who was literally bouncing on her feet with excitement. Jeremy and Tim were giddily clutching each other’s arms. _

_ There were murmurs of ‘What’s going on?’ and ‘Do you see anyone?’ rising up from the crowd. Then everything went silent as the front doors flew open and a squad of Stormtroopers poured into the lobby. They rushed into place around the crowd, circling the Con-goers and celebrities who had gathered to see what all the fuss was about. More troopers came spilling out from all doors and hallways until there was a wall of white and black surrounding the crowd. _

_ One trooper walked away from the others, standing out among the others in silver armor instead of the traditional white and black. The being was tall and broad and intimidating. _

_ “Lord Vader, the rebels are secure,” the silver armored Stormtrooper said loudly. It was clear the person was microphoned under the helmet. _

_ Everyone fell silent at being called rebels. Silent enough to hear the tell-tale breathing of the Dark Lord of the Sith. It raised the hairs on the back of everyone’s necks. And then the doors to Hall H flew open, and Darth Vader himself walked out. He was flanked on both sides by two more Sith Lords, with one following behind. Vader stopped just inside the circle of troopers, while the other Sith walked around to take up position around the circle. _

_ One of the Sith, the one now standing a few feet in front of Sophie, Jeremy, Tim and the actors, was a female Togruta with blue skin, red eyes, white markings along her face and neck, two tall montrals and three long lekku. She wore the traditional Sith black robe over a black tunic and vest and black leggings. Knee high black leather boots completed the outfit. In her black gloved hand was a lit, red lightsaber. She took a moment to look over the civilians facing her. When she saw Sophie, Tim and Jeremy, the Sith winked quickly at them before scowling at the actors behind them, then turning her attention back to Darth Vader. _

_ Vader began speaking to the group of people surrounded by the Stormtroopers. But Tom wasn’t listening. There was something familiar about the blue alien standing in front of them. He leaned down to whisper into Sophie’s ear. _

_ “That blue Sith, who is that? She looks familiar, I think.” He wasn’t sure why he was asking Sophie, not entirely convinced she’d know. _

_ Sophie’s hand flew to her mouth as she tried to stifle a giggle. She turned her head just a bit to see the look on his face. All the actors behind them were watching the play in front of them intently. She didn’t answer Tom’s question, just motioned for him to keep watching. _

_ Darth Vader had singled out a woman from the crowd and was accusing her of being a Rebel spy, when suddenly a flurry of brown robes pushed past the Stormtroopers. Standing between the Sith and the crowd were four Jedi, lightsabers drawn and ready to fight. The female Togruta Sith Lord faced off against a female Twi’lek Jedi Knight. A tall, dark skinned man of equal intimidation as the Sith Lord in front of him stood defiantly in front of Lord Vader. The Zabrak Sith and the Human Sith were each facing Human Jedi. The captivated crowd was silent as the Stormtroopers aimed their weapons at the Jedi. But Vader waved his hand and told them to stand down. _

_ “We will deal with these Jedi!” And the fight began. It was a perfectly choreographed display of red clashing mercilessly against green and blue. It was obvious to all watching the Jedi and the Sith were truly trained in sword fighting. The eight beings danced around the circle as Stormtroopers manipulated the crowd to avoid full interaction. The spectacle lasted for only a few minutes, but the crowd was eating it up. People began cheering, some for the Jedi, some for the Sith. The woman accused of being a Rebel Spy was taken prisoner by a couple Stormtroopers and escorted away from the scene into Hall H. By the end of the show, three of the Jedi were down, feigning wounds, and two of the Sith were down with them. Darth Vader and the Togruta stood against the last Jedi and showed him no mercy. When he finally fell, Vader spoke to the crowd again. _

_ “Rebellion and allegiance with the Jedi forces will not be tolerated within the Empire. Darth Luna will remain at Comic Con to ensure Empirical rule continues, and to impede resistance as needed,” Vader announced. He turned to the Togruta standing next to him. “Darth Luna, the Con is yours.” _

_ Darth Luna bowed her head in deference. “Thank you, Lord Vader. This Con will serve as an example to the rest of the Galaxy.” _

_ There was an audible gasp from behind Sophie when the Togruta Sith spoke. Tom knew that voice. He looked over at James and Michael, and saw they recognized her as well. _

_ Vader summoned his Troopers and walked back to Hall H, leaving Darth Luna standing in front of the crowd, with the other half of the Stormtroopers. _

_ “If you wish to speak with me, receive my signature or require photographic evidence of my presence, I will be at the booth just there for the next hour and a half. Follow the Troopers to the designated areas. If you wish to meet with Darth Vader, the line starts here.” _

_ Sophie, Jeremy and Tim rushed over to the booth Darth Luna had indicated, leaving the stunned actors standing among the rest of the crowd. They watched the costumed woman stalk her way through the crowd over to the booth. The other Sith and the Jedi all got up and walked over to the booth as well. The crowd snapped into action, a few dozen left the area completely, others formed a line in front of Hall H while the rest went to stand in line to meet Darth Luna, and other Sith and Jedi. The Stormtroopers acted as line monitors and handlers, making sure the crowd was still excited, but not overly so. _

_ “I’m missing something,” Robert stated. “Why did your Mate’s friend insist we watch that? Not that it wasn’t cool, because holy wow that was cool. But...” _

_ “That...” Tom pointed to Darth Luna at the table, chatting with Sophie and the boys. “Is Zarina.” _

_ Robert and Chris both did a double take. _

_ Michael and James started moving towards the front of the line, while Tom was still standing, utterly stunned. Benedict finally gave him a hard shove and gestured towards the table. Tom quickly joined Michael and James at the front of the line. Darth Luna had been standing behind the table, her back turned to the crowd, talking with the other Sith and Jedi. When she turned around, her smile dropped at the sight of the three actors. _

_ “You were not first in line,” she hissed. She pointed her lightsaber towards the line. “The Empire does not tolerate disorder, or line jumpers.” _

_ The three were shocked to hear her speak to them like that. But they recovered quickly. _

_ “Zarina, Pixie, can we talk? Just real quick before you start, please,” Tom asked in his most charming, sweet voice. _

_ “I am busy,” Zarina snarled, not breaking character. “Back in line. Or my men will escort you away.” _

_ Michael did not like her attitude, he didn’t care if she was in character. He stepped closer to the table, keeping eye contact with his little Omega. “Morsel, we need to talk to you. We can do it now, real quick, or we...” he motioned to himself, Tom and James. “We tell these people to find a new line and take you somewhere to talk.” _

_ Zarina’s white lips curled into a smile for the first time. A smile so wholly devious, mischievous and devastating, it would have given Loki the chills. And her eyes, made red and yellow by contact lenses, flashed with dangerous intentions. “Is that so? Do you know who I am? I am Darth Luna T’suhn, Sith Lord in the Empirical Galaxy. What have to fear from a few humans? I have an army. And unlike others who have made that claim, mine has already taken over the Galaxy, successfully.” _

_ Tom couldn’t hide the smile that curled his lips, despite the surge in numbers of Stormtroopers around the table. Robert, who had come to stand behind the three Alpha’s nearly doubled over in a fit of laughter. Chris and Benedict looked thoroughly impressed, while James and Michael were both left speechless. The awe struck crowd who had gathered to witness this Sith Lord mince words with Loki, Magneto and Professor X did something no one expected. Sophie, Jeremy and Tim fell to the floor, kneeling in respect for their Sith Lord friend. And the crowd followed. The actors didn’t notice right away. Not until Zarina pointed her lightsaber, again, at the crowd and gestured for them to turn around and look. When they saw the crowd of nearly fifty people kneeling, heads bowed but eyes up, there was an audible gasp. _

_ “And I didn’t even have to tell them. My glorious purpose is known and respected.” Zarina turned to the closest Stormtrooper. “Commander, escort these men from my line.” _

_ The Stormtrooper signalled for three more Troopers to join him and they surrounded the actors. “Move along.” _

_ Tom couldn’t help it. He was impressed with his little Omega. As he followed the Commander away from the line, passing my Zarina, he smiled and bowed his head in respect. James also smiled at her, in passing. But Michael looked livid. His eyes spoke of the promise of consequences for her actions. _

_ “You’re fun!” Robert chuckled as he walked by. “I hope you stick around!” _

_ Chris and Benedict both smiled and said Goodbye. _

_ Zarina watched the six men leave the area completely before turning her attention back to the crowd. Though she held character as best she could, Sophie caught the look in her eyes. Sophie was the first to stand back up, everyone followed. And when the Stormtroopers waved her to the table to get a card, autograph and have her photo taken with the character of her choice- Darth Luna, naturally- she heard Zarina’s shaky whisper. “Holy shit!” _

_ “Holy shit!” Sophie repeated.  _


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry this has taken so long. My October was absolutely exhaustive and stressful- both of my parents passed away within three weeks of each other and it's been a very emotionally and mentally taxing ordeal. Please bare with me while I get myself back on track. Thanks!

Tom returned with dinner not long after James returned to Zarina’s basement room. He’d brought back several types of Chinese foods, unsure of what she might like. Fortunately, she wasn’t too picky and ate a little of everything they offered her. James encouraged Tom to talk about the prospective homes they had been discussing, and they talked at length about all the things the three of them could afford if they put their money together. Zarina got the feeling none of them would be the types to just spend ridiculously without cause, which gave her a sudden wave of unease at realizing she was that cause.

She was about to tell them not to bother with such expenses, finding herself a little annoyed at their presumptuous behavior, but she stopped herself when she remembered her new mantra. _ I just need to play along. _

“That all sounds... um... nice, but a little too much,” Zarina said quietly. 

“What do you mean, Pixie?” It was clear he was waiting for her usual argument that she had no interest in moving to London or living with the three of them.

“Well, I mean, how often will you really be using a pool? And a place that big sounds like a lot of work for cleaning and upkeep. And you three are so busy, how often are all three of you really going to be in your own offices at the same time? Can’t you share? Is it really necessary to have so many rooms?” She asked. “And a security gate? Really? Do you guys have that now?” Before either could answer a thought occurred to her. “Well, maybe you and Michael do. You guys probably live in an apartment building with a doorman or something. And I haven’t seen more than a couple rooms here, and not the outside, so I guess you might have a security fence...” She stopped her nervous ramblings when she saw the way the two were looking at her. Tom’s face was lit up with his signature Happy Grin, and James’s eyes were shining with joy. “What?”

“I was expecting you to argue about the need for us to buy a new house, not argue the amenities.” Though still smiling, Tom regarded his Mate with speculation. 

“It’s wonderful to hear your input, that’s all,”James replied.

Zarina didn’t know what to say, so she just averted her eyes back to her empty plate and stayed quite. Tom and James exchanged a look, both interpreting her reaction to being called out on her sudden participation to the conversation, which had been very one sided until then. 

“Are you done eating, BabyDoll?” Zarina just nodded. “Okay, why don’t you go take a nice relaxing shower while Tom and I clean up? It’ll help you relax for bed.”

“Okay.” Zarina stood from the table and was about to collect some pajamas from the wardrobe when Tom pulled her into a tight, warm hug. 

“Be a good girl for James, tonight, alright?” he purred sweetly. He took a step back and gently curled his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up so she was looking up at him. “I will see you in the morning.” Then he bent down and kissed Zarina tenderly on the lips. At first Zarina stood rigidly, trying very hard not to melt into the sweet kiss, but as Tom deepened the kiss, her resolve began to dissolve and slowly she began to yield to his sensual touch. His lips pressed more firmly as his hand, which had been under her chin, moved around the side of her neck to cup her jaw just under her ear. His thumb rubbed gentle, stimulating circles on the sensitive skin in front of her ear. His other arm stayed wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly against him. Just as quickly as she started to feel more from the kiss, Tom pulled away. He smiled when he noticed the delicate shade of pink coloring her cheeks, her eyes were closed and her breath just a bit erratic. Her eyes fluttered open and stared into Tom’s cerulean eyes. He was looking at her with such affection, she felt uncomfortable. When he felt her squirm under his touch he smiled and let her pull away from him. “Have a nice night, Pixie.”

Tom turned back to the table and found James had picked up all the food containers and cleaned up the table. Tom grabbed the canvas bag he had used to bring the food home and loaded the containers in it to take upstairs. While he worked on that, James made his way over to his nervous looking Omega, who was trying to remember what she was supposed to be doing. 

“We’re just going to take this all up to the kitchen,” he explained. He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. “Take a shower, relax. I will bring you a cup of chamomile when I come back down. Is there anything else I can bring you?”

“Instead of tea, can I have some cocoa, please?” She looked up at James hopefully.

“I’m not sure I have any cocoa mix, Pixie. If I don’t, would you prefer something else or would tea be alright?”

Zarina thought for a moment. “Warm milk and honey, please.”

“You got it, BabyDoll!” James kissed her forehead before following Tom out the door. 

There was a moment, when the room was finally quiet and she was alone where Zarina wasn’t sure what to do. She was confused and angry and scared. There was a very small, but insistent, part of her that wanted Tom to come back and kiss her again. Another part that wished James had done more when he pecked her lips. But a large part of her was screaming at the other parts to get a grip. To forget the feeling of their thin, but soft lips. To pretend she didn’t enjoy the feeling of Tom’s thumb tracing small, intimate circles on her cheek. It was such a wonderful feeling. Zarina shook her head when she realized it was her own fingertips she was now feeling against her cheek, tracing the same path as Tom’s thumb. 

Zarina rubbed her hands over her face as she forced herself to walk to the bathroom and started the shower.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Tom put the food cartons in the refrigerator while James browsed through his cupboards looking for cocoa mix. 

“I’m not finding any, mate,” James announced. 

“Yeah, it’s not really something I drink. But I’ll go out tomorrow and buy something. Do me a favor, find out what kind she likes, huh?”

“Sure. So warm milk and honey? And where did you stash those pills?”

“Oh, Michael thought it would be best to keep them in my bathroom upstairs instead of down here, since we plan on letting her up here more. I think Michael split a couple in advance so we just have to crush it up.”

“Actually, I was thinking of giving her a whole one the next couple of nights. She’s going to be starting her heat soon and being more compliant during that transition will be helpful. Plus, she’s spending the night with Mike tomorrow and the day with Ben on Sunday. It’s better to be safe, when it comes to her spending time with either of those two.”

“Good idea,” Tom agreed. 

He ran up to his room to retrieve the pill while James went about heating up the milk in a small sauce pan. When Tom returned, he gave the tiny white pill to James, who promptly crushed it up and put it into a mug, then he poured the hot milk into the mug and stirred in a generous amount of honey. 

“I’m just going to pop into the spare room and grab my stuff. I’ll just change down there while she’s in the shower. Anything I should know? You know, to keep her comfortable tonight?”

Tom thought for a moment. “She doesn’t sleep well, very restless, even with the pill. But she doesn’t snore. In fact, kind of the opposite, she makes the cutest little humming noises when she finds her comfy spot. I found that if she’s really tossing and turning, rubbing her back or pulling her closer to me seemed to calm her. I think that’s the Omega instinct kicking in, unconsciously.”

“That’s one of those things, right? Our touch and scent should feel safe and secure for our Omega,” James acknowledged. Tom nodded.

James disappeared up the stairs for a moment to retrieve his overnight bag from the guest room. When he came back to the kitchen he grabbed the mug of hot honeyed milk, said goodnight to Tom and made his way back to the basement room.

Upon entering the room, James could hear the shower running behind the closed bathroom door. He had to fight the urge to go in and check on her, make sure she had everything she needed. Instead, he set the mug on the bedside table and dropped his bag by the wardrobe. As he dug out his pajamas, he noticed the giftbox he’d given her sitting on the chair, the nightie still inside. He quickly undressed and pulled on his sleep pants before grabbing the article of clothing and lightly knocking on the bathroom door. 

“BabyDoll?” he called, opening the door and slowly poking his head in. He heard the shower curtain shift around. 

“Yeah?” came the slightly startled voice of his Mate.

“You left your nightie in the room. I’m just going to hang it on the back of the door next to your robe, okay?”

“Oh, um... okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

James stepped into the bathroom and hung up the nightie on one of the three hooks behind the door. He was about to step out of the room when movement from the shower caught his eye. Without thinking, he glanced over and saw the shadow profile of Zarina standing in the shower. She was standing very rigid and still, clearly waiting to hear him leave and the door shut. After a moment of not hearing anything, he saw her arm stretch out and grab the curtain. She pulled it back just enough to poke her head out at the same time she called out his name.

“Yeah, BabyDoll?” he asked, hoping she would request something of him and wasn’t just checking to see if he’d left.

“Um... could you do me a favor and hand me a washcloth. I forgot to grab one. Please.”

“Absolutely.” He was almost giddy with pleasure. He opened the small cupboard above the toilet and grabbed a washcloth and handed it to her. “Is there anything else you need?” 

Zarina quickly took the washcloth and disappeared behind the shower curtain. “No, thank you. I’ll be out soon.”

“Take your time, BabyDoll. When you’re done, get dried and changed and bring your comb into the room. I would like to help you comb out your hair, if you’ll let me.” Without allowing her time to reply, he walked back into the main room, a happy grin on his face. He grabbed the teddy bear from the bag and set it on the bed against the pillows so she’d have it for the night. He then grabbed a couple of the cushions from the love seat and stacked them on the floor in front of him.

Anxiously, he sat on the daybed, flipping through the television channels, waiting for Zarina to emerge from the bathroom. When she finally emerged, he sat up a little straighter on the bed. She was wrapped in the soft, baby pink knee length robe Tom had set out for her the first night she had spent there. Her long, dark hair was damp and held up off her shoulders by a clip. Carefully, she approached the daybed, watching James. 

With a smile, James pat the bed next to him. “Hey, BabyDoll, why don’t you sit here and I can comb out your hair while you look for something to watch?” James indicated the stacked cushions on the floor in front of the day bed. He set the remote control on the coffee table. Hesitantly, Zarina approached the designated spot. She sat, with her back to James on the cushions, handed her thick toothed comb over her shoulders to him, grabbed the remote and began flipping through the channels.

With a satisfied smile, James carefully removed the clip from her hair, allowing her damp tresses to tumble down her back as he set the clip and comb on the bed next to him. Slowly, as if trying not to frighten his skittish Mate, James combed through her hair with his fingers, gently massaging the back of her scalp and her neck as he went. As he continued to work through her hair with his fingers, he would lean in and bring a few strands to him nose to inhale her scent. The fresh, clean smell of her skin and hair was intoxicating. The softness of her skin and the silkiness of her hair was overwhelmingly inviting. James was exhilarated as he watched his BabyDoll slowly relax into his ministrations. 

Zarina had managed to find something to watch and set the remote back on the table. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she loved having her hair played with, and something about James being the one running his fingers through her hair was downright sensual. The way his fingertips caressed her skin excited something within her she was unfamiliar with. Unconsciously, she began tilting her head back, inviting him to touch and explore more. When he finally started to comb through her hair, she had completely forgotten about the show and was sitting with her eyes closed and her mouth open just a bit. 

The puff of his breath against her ear as he spoke startled her back to reality. “I’m going to get those ribbons and some hair ties to put your hair in those sweet little twin-tails, alright, BabyDoll?”

Feeling breathless and not trusting her voice to sound normal, Zarina could only nod. Smiling in utter delight, James got up and quickly retrieved the items from the gift box and the bathroom. As he returned to his seat he was encouraged to see the flush in Zarina’s face and the way she tried to steady her breathing. He was having a stimulating effect on her. He watched with keen eyes as she quickly took a gulp of her honeyed milk in an attempt to calm herself.

The pleasant little gasps he managed to pull from Zarina as he braided and tied off her hair elicited such excitement, he couldn’t help but scoop her into his arms and settle her on his lap when he was finished. At first, her reaction from such sudden movement was to sit rigidly on his lap. But since she wasn’t trying to push away, James took it as an invitation to continue his seductive pursuit. He gently, slowly, nuzzled against her jaw and ear while one arm wrapped around her to hold her firmly on his lap, and the other hand trailed lightly against her arm. It didn’t take much work on James’s part to get Zarina to relax, again. He found a particularly sensitive spot just under her ear that caused her to shiver when he focuses his attention on it. A few tender, teasing kisses and licks had her breathless and leaning into his affection. After a few tantalizing moments, caressing his lips and tongue from the sensitive point under her ear, down her neck and back up, he stopped to whisper in a husky, thick voice. 

“Have another drink, BabyDoll. We don’t want your milk to get cold.”

Without thinking, Zarina reached for her mug and took a languidly deep drink. James smiled against her cheek when she finished it in a matter of seconds. He took the mug and set it down for her before continuing his intimate exploration. He was slow and deliberate, noting all the ways she reacted to his touch. If he licked here, did her breath catch? When he kissed there, did she shiver? Every little thing she did in response to him had him craving more. And the more he took, the more she seemed willing to give. As he nuzzled, licked, kissed and nibbled his way from ear to jaw to neck and further down, he also took a chance in moving her, pulling her around on his lap so she was facing him more squarely. In doing so, her robe fell open, allowing him further access to her soft, skin. 

James was quite thrilled to watch the shoulder of the robe slide down her arm and bare the thin strap of her nightie to him. As he moved his attentions to the other side of her neck, to her other ear, he felt her head loll back just slightly and felt her squirm, just a bit, on his lap. He found the same sensitive spot on the other side and focused on it for a few seconds while he brought his hand up to trace a delicate line across her collarbone to the strap of her nightie. Very slowly, in an attempt not to draw too much attention to the action, James slipped the strap off her shoulder. As the strap tumbled down her arm and landed on the collar of her robe, which had pooled around her elbow, the fabric of the nightie slouched down with it, revealing her chest and the top of her breast. James ghosted his fingers from Zarina’s shoulder down her skin to the edge of the fabric where is caressed her skin. 

Suddenly, as his fingers tickled against her skin in an attempt to seek beyond the fabric of the nightie, Zarina jerked away from James. He let her pull away, but kept her on his lap so she didn’t fall. She was staring at him, shock and confusion clouding her pale green eyes. With a small smile, James slid Zarina off his lap and onto the bed. He maneuvered himself around her so when he pulled her down to lay on the bed, he was spooning up behind her and they could both watch the TV show that had been playing in the background. 

After a few minutes of trying to figure out what they were watching, James finally spoke. “What are we watching, BabyDoll?”

It took a few minutes for her to reply, but when she did, her voice was breathy and shaky. “I-it’s... called Expedition Unknown.”

James smirked. He could smell her barely contained arousal. 

  
_ Just a couple more days _ , he thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, you guys are all way too nice. Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading this and sending encouraging comments and kudos for me to continue this story. It was a devestating winter, and spring was hell. But I managed to finish this silly chapter, and now things will be so much easier. Honestly, I have the next two chapters already written, I just needed this chapter to bridge the gap between the last chapter and the next, and it did NOT want to be written. This chapter fought hard, but in the end, your wonderful encouragement and support gave me the strength I needed to kick it's ass and get it done. Thank you all so much!  
> ~~~~~~~~

_Zarina had just enough time to get cleaned up and changed from her Star Wars costume into her AKF shirt and a pair of jeans before meeting Sophie outside the Children’s Museum for Nerd HQ. She hadn’t heard anything from her Alpha’s since she sent them away a couple hours earlier, and she was trying to convince the Universe to keep it that way. During the Conversation with the Cast of Supernatural Sophie and Zarina were able to give their AKF donation check to Jared and received personal autographs after the panel from each cast member and Zach Levi._

_Leaving the Children’s Museum, Sophie and Zarina met up with Jeremy and Tim outside the convention center. They hailed a taxi and made it to the San Diego International Airport in good time. Inside, the group found their way to a ticket kiosk and printed their tickets without difficulties. Walking towards the TSA line, Zarina let out a sigh of relief. She had made it to the airport without any further interaction with her Alpha’s._

_But her relief was short lived as she stepped off the escalator. Standing just outside the TSA line was Luke Windsor, and the two PA’s working with Fassbender and McAvoy._

_“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Zarina muttered._

_“What?” Sophie asked, craning her head around like an owl. When she spotted the three PA’s, her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a laugh._

  _“Miss Poe,” Luke greeted. Zarina just raised an eyebrow as she hefted her carry-on into a better grip. “Our clients would really like to speak with you before you catch your plane. They are downstairs in the bar, waiting.”_

_“I’m not interested and I have a plane to catch. So if you’ll excuse me,” Zarina tried to sound authoritative as she tried to move around the three men. The scent of her Alpha’s was obvious on them._ Probably from the shared car ride here _, she thought. But it still bothered her. Made her brain just the tiniest bit fuzzy around the edges._

_Luke put his hand out to stop her from going around them. “Please, Miss Poe. Just a quick conversation and then I can personally get you through the line quickly and to your friends at your gate. I promise you won’t miss your flight.”_

_Zarina huffed in annoyance._

_“Oh, Z, just do it. It’s not like they can keep you here or anything. See what they want and be done with it,” Jeremy reasoned._

_“Fine. Lead the way.” She turned to her friends. “I’ll see you at the gate.”_

_Zarina followed Luke, with the other two following her. She suddenly had a flash of Princess Leia being led by Stormtroopers to meet Darth Vader. The three men took Zarina down the escalator to one of the few bars near the main entrance of the airport. A sign hanging outside the bar door read, Closed for Cleaning._

_Inside sat Tom, Michael and James at the bar, each with a drink, Michael with a cigarette. When they saw her come in, they nearly knocked their stools over standing up to greet her._

_“BabyDoll!” James exclaimed, happily pulling her into a one-sided hug. When he let her go, she stepped away rather quickly and did her best to stay close to door._  

_“Thank you for coming, Pixie.” Tom’s face was a jumbled mess of emotions as he looked at her. The one that caught Zarina off guard the most was the look of fear that flashed across his beautiful face._

_Michael didn’t say anything to her, for which she was glad. He struck her as the type to be the most upset about her actions throughout the day and the one who would actually act upon his feelings._  

_“Well, your hounds didn’t exactly make it sound like I had an option,” she muttered. She set her luggage on the floor next to a bar stool as she settled herself on said stool. She looked around to try and signal a bartender for a drink, but none could be found. Yet, when she looked at the men, they had fresh drinks._  

_The four sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Zarina spoke up._  

_“Well, I’m here, let’s get this over with.”_  

_“I’m sorry,” James said. He was looking directly into Zarina’s eyes. He was sincere in his apology. “I was a complete ass. I went about this whole thing wrong and clearly overwhelmed you. Please, forgive me.”_  

_“I am also sorry,” Tom expressed, genuinely. He looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. And Zarina felt something stir in her chest at the sight. “I got so caught up in finding you I just got ahead of myself. I never meant to frighten you or make you feel like a possession. I’m so sorry.”_  

_Zarina opened her mouth to reply, but Michael stopped her._  

_“We’ve been fools. Complete assholes.” Michael rasped out. “This is such a shit place to have found you. Such a terrible situation and I just got carried away. I knew how bad this situation was going to be from the go. I just couldn’t admit it.”_

  _They were all genuinely sorry for their actions._ Or so they seem. They are actors, after all _, Zarina thought cynically. But there was something gnawing at her heart making her want to believe them._

  _“So where does this little revelation of yours leave us? I’m going home in a bit. You guys all have your own things going on, filming and stuff,” Zarina said. She decided if she couldn’t get her own drink, she’d settle for the one closest to her, grabbed James’s tumbler of amber liquor and took a quick sip before setting it back in front of him. When he gave her a questioning look, she just shrugged._

  _“Can we, maybe try again?” Tom started. “At the end of August I have a week off from filming. The whole production does, actually. Originally, I was planning on staying in Sydney with Chris, but maybe I can visit you in Madison, instead?”_

  _“Oh, um... Which week?” Zarina asked, immediately taking out her phone and opening her calendar app._

  _Tom followed suit, opening his calendar and scrolling through. “The twenty third through the twenty ninth.”_

  _"Um... I guess that would be okay,” Zarina nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to visit her, but at least they would be on her territory. She was too busy putting her phone away to notice the relieved expression flash across all three mens faces._

  _"Perfect. That gives us a month before we see each other again. Perhaps, in that time, we can talk over emails, video chats and phone?” Tom asked._

  _“I guess that would be fine,” Zarina reluctantly agreed._

  _“If we can also manage it, Babydoll, would it be alright for Michael and I to come visit you as well?”_

  _“So, the three of you want to come to Madison? Is that really a good idea?”_

  _“Why not?” James asked cheerily._

  _“Well, I guess if one of you is going to be hanging around, the other two might as well, too,” she agreed reluctantly. “It’ll give you someone to be all touristy with while I’m working or gaming.”_

  _“Where do you work again?” Michael asked._

  _“I work the over -night shift at a local B and B on the lake and I work at an art gallery,” Zarina reminded them. She looked at the time on her phone. “Look, I really need to get to my gate soon...”_

  _“Of course.” Tom stood from his stool and took a step around James to stand closer to Zarina. “Can I hug you farewell?”_

  _Zarina was so relieved that he’d asked and not assumed that she nodded her head as she stood from her own stool. She returned the hug, tentatively. Then waited for the other two to say or do something before turning to leave. Both Michael and James requested hugs as well, and bid their mate farewell before letting her leave the bar._

  _“Please, message us when you land. Let us know you landed safely,” James requested softly._

  _“Ok, I will.” Zarina had grabbed her luggage and began walking out the door. “Um... thank you. For this. Have a safe trip back to wherever you’re going. I guess we’ll talk again, soon.” She gave them a small smile and an awkward wave before disappearing into the bustle of the airport._

 

_~~~~~~~_

  _“So, how’d it go?” Chris asked his grumpy co-star. He watched as Tom leaned back against the couch and ran his hands through his hair._

  _After the incident with Zarina during the 501st meet and greet, the three Alpha’s had been agitated and moody. It took quite a few friends, and their publicists to talk them through their mood and help them decide on a course of action. When they returned from the airport, the three men seemed a little less tense. Tom was sitting in his hotel suite with Chris and Benedict, waiting for Luke to tell them where they were supposed to be. Michael and James had gone off to do their own Con wrap._

  _“It went better than expected,” Tom sighed. “She’s agreed to let us visit her in Madison during the break in August. Speaking of which, please tell Elsa I won’t be needing that guest room after all.”_

  _“Well, that’s a good sign!” Chris exclaimed, excited for his friend. “Will you be talking with her while you’re a part?”_

  _“She said we could,” Tom shrugged. “She promised to message us when she arrived safely in Madison. I was thinking of calling her when we get back to Australia. What is the time difference between the States and Australia, anyway?”_

  _Benedict shrugged. Chris looked like he was trying to remember. “I think Sydney is something like 14 or 15 hours ahead of New York. Where is Madison?” he asked._

  _“It’s in Wisconsin. Without a map, I think I recall the state being across the lake from Michigan, so it’s about an hour difference from New York.” Tom stopped to consider what that meant for communication purposes, but inevitably shook his head. “I’m too tired to try and figure out the logistics of calling her at an appropriate time. I can’t believe how complicated this is.” He ran his hand down his face again._

  _“Cheer up, mate,” Chris smiled, patting Tom on the shoulder. “You’ve found your soulmate. Things will work out, in the end. You just have to give her some time to adjust to everything. Maybe, I don’t know, try not to be so... um...” Chris looked to Benedict for help wording what he was trying to say._

  _“Try to remain patient and calm. Don’t be so aggressive with her. Remember, this is just as new and strange for her as it is for you,” Benedict offered._

  _“But it’s not just me, is it. She has three soulmates. I am going to have to share her with Fassbender and McAvoy. It’s not exactly an ideal situation,” Tom sighed. Chris gave his friend a sympathetic smile. It was an unusual situation, and none of them knew what to make of it._

  _“You’re right, it is quite unusual,” Benedict agreed. “But you have to come to terms with that, eventually, and believe there is a reason the four of you are together. For example, you, Mike and James are all very busy men, perhaps between the three of you, you’ll be able to work out a way where Zarina is never without one of her Soulmates. Maybe she requires more emotional attention, for one reason or another, that just one Alpha, with schedules like yours, cannot fulfill. Once you get to know her better, you’ll start to get a sense of why she has three Alpha’s and why those three are you, Mike and James.”_

  _Tom sighed. He knew his friends were right. He knew it deep within himself. But he was stressed and frustrated. He’d spent so long hoping to find his Soulmate, his Omega. He had been looking forward to meeting his special someone since he first discovered he was an Alpha, destined for a Soulmate. Tom had spent his youth dreaming of the girl who would carry his words. Imagining all the different scenarios in which he’d meet her. Never once had he imagined the fateful meeting would happen at a pop-culture convention, and that she’d be some random fan in an autograph line. It was less than ideal. It was unexpected. But it was exactly when he needed it to happen. And with that revelation, Tom looked from Benedict to Chris, sighed one last time, and smiled._

  _“I can make it work. But I’ll need your help.”_

 

_~~~~~~~_

 

August 24th

  _“So, what time are they getting in?” Sophie asked. She was sitting in Zarina’s living room, watching her friend folding laundry._

  _“Tom will be the first to arrive,” Zarina replied a bit tersely. “The flight is supposed to get in sometime just after seven. His publicist sent me an email with his itinerary last week, but I haven’t looked at it more then a glance since I received it. I probably should check it, just to see which hotel he’s staying at, but... I’m not sure I’m ready for them to be here.” She set the last piece of laundry on the pile before scooping up the pile and taking it into her bedroom. Quickly, she shoved the garments into the top drawer of her chest of drawers before disappearing into her bathroom._

  _“What about the other two?” Sophie asked as she walked into the hallway and perched in the bathroom doorway._

  _“Michael and James are both coming from London on the same flight,” Zarina explained as she turned on the sink tap and began applying facial cleanser to her wet fingertips. “They’re getting in later, I guess. Checking into their hotel sometime around ten.”_

  _“How have things been going with just the calls and video chats?” Sophie had been away for work for nearly three weeks, having just gotten back to Wisconsin two days ago. She and Zarina decided to have a bit of catch-up time while Zarina got ready for her night shift at the hotel._

  _“Fine, I guess. It was a pain at first, because of the time difference. Did you know Sydney is 15 hours ahead of Wisconsin?”_

  _“Please tell me you made a time traveling joke as soon as you found that out,” Sophie giggled._

  _“Of course I did. I couldn’t even stop myself. It was like my brain was on autopilot or something. He called me at 6 p.m. our time, which was 9 a.m. his time. He was literally calling into the past! How could I not point that out. Then I cackled like an idiot about it.” Sophie let out a full roarous laugh, knowing her friend was probably both very pleased, but also a little embarrassed by her own antics. “You know me, I’m the Queen of being smooth.”_

  _“And I bet... he was... so... British that he... gave you a polite... chuckle... before changing the... subject!” Sophie barely managed to get the words out between her fits of laughter._

  _“God, I probably looked like such a freaking nerd,” Zarina groaned. “And not the cool kind who knows math and science. Or even a cool geek with pop-culture references. But like, one of those socially awkward nerds who makes everyone else uncomfortable... Ugh!”_

  _Sophie wiped a few tears from her eyes before managing to straighten up and compose her laughing enough to give her friend a sympathetic smile. “Well, it couldn’t have been that bad. He’s still coming all this way to spend a week with you.”_

  _“Oh, and get this, he’s bringing friends. Because that isn’t going to be weird or anything,” Zarina grumbled. She had now managed to wash her face, brush her teeth and was starting to put on a bit of makeup._

  _“Really? Did he say who, or why?” Sophie asked._

  _“Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa, Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie are coming with him from Sydney.”_

  _“But why?”_

  _Zarina shrugged. “He says it would be for both our benefit. Tom said they’d be able to help keep him from getting to carried away. They know him best, so they can check him if he gets too... I don’t know. He made is sound more reasonable, somehow. Something about if he starts getting to be demanding, or possessive or being a jerk, they’d know how to talk to him. Anyway, I guess they volunteered because they wanted a vacation, too.”_

  _“Well, that actually sounds rather accommodating and logical on his part,” Sophie approved. She walked up behind her friend, staring at her in the mirror. “So let me take this moment to say, I’ll do the same for you.”_

  _“Excuse me?” Zarina raised an eyebrow at her friends statement._

  _“You need to be willing to give these guys a chance. So I will help you try to enjoy your time with your Soulmates, and keep you out of that head of yours,” Sophie vowed. Zarina rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything._

 

_~~~~~~_

 

_Zarina’s shift at the Bed and Breakfast had gotten switched from the overnight shift to second shift two weeks ago. It had taken her a bit of time to get used to the change, but she was doing much better this week. She arrived for her new shift at three in the afternoon. Upon entering the lobby, one of the owners and managers informed her that it would be a slow day, as they hadn’t had anyone check in the day before, but he did explain they were expecting check in’s this evening, as a private party had rented out all seven rooms for the next five nights. There was no notice as to when the party was going to be arriving, but they would be showing up individually. The rooms were already paid for, she just needed to give them room keys, help with luggage if needed and to help them find their way around Madison. Same old, same old._

  _It was after seven when Zarina’s bubble of peace was broken. She had done the few chores she was supposed to do- make sure the lobby restroom was cleaned and stocked. Make sure the coffee and tea kettle were supplied. Dust the large TV and fireplace mantle. Basic things, really. Once she’d completed her tasks, she set up her laptop in the back office and began watching Netflix. She got a couple calls requesting rates and policies for various rentals and special events. Around seven, she was trying to print out something from her computer, which had caused a jam in the printer. Zarina was on the floor, reaching into the cabinet where the printer was stationed, trying to feel through the wires and dust bunnies for the power switch when the sound of a person clearing their throat startled her. She jumped at the sudden sound, hitting the back of her head on the frame of the cabinet as she tried to extricate herself from trappings of the printer and the small space._

  _Standing up, Zarina straightened her blouse with one hand and rubbed her head with the other. “Hi, can I help... you?” Zarina looked at the man standing on the other side of the counter in shock. She hadn’t seen him in a month, but she’d talked to him a couple times since San Diego._

  _“Miss. Poe?” The man seemed just as shocked to see her as she was to see him._

  _“Hello, Mr. Wilson,” she sighed. “So, I suppose Tom is waiting out in the car?” Luke nodded, still slightly dumbfounded at seeing his employer’s Omega standing behind the check in counter. “Did you know I worked here? Is that why you arranged to stay here during the vacation?”_

  _Luke shook his head. “No, Ms. Poe. You never stated which Inn you worked at. I chose this one because it was available for the duration of our stay, it was small enough that we could rent out all the rooms and have some privacy, and it had great reviews for customer service.”_

  _“Well, I suppose that makes sense.” Zarina started tapping away on the keyboard in front of her. “You and Tom are sharing a room, I assume?”_

  _“I requested a room with two beds for us, yeah,” Luke nodded._

  _“And are Mr. Hemsworth and Mr. Cumberbatch with you?”_

  _“And their wives, yes,” Luke confirmed._

  _“Right. Okay. You and Tom are in the third floor suite, it’s the one with a small common room and two small bedrooms. The Hemsworths are in suite 201 and the Cumberbatches are in 202, they each have a king sized bed, his and hers closets and a large sitting area. We don’t have an elevator, but there is a dumbwaiter in the kitchen that goes up to both floors, found in the hallway, and would be big enough for large suitcase, if you’ll be needing it.” Zarina handed Luke two keys for each room before trying to print out the Stay Agreement Contract. When she heard a sharp whirring sound she pinched her eyes shut in frustration. “Sorry, I was in the process of fixing our printer before you came in. Can I have you come back in a few minutes to sign for the rooms? I need to fix the silly thing before I can print out the Stay Agreement.”_

  _“Yeah, sure. Not a problem. I’ll just go out and let the others know everything is ready and they can come in. Is there another entrance or are you alright with Tom coming in this way?”_

  _“No, it’s fine. He’ll find me here sooner or later, anyway. Might as well rip that bandage off right away. The rooms are up the staircase, 201 and 202 are on the second floor, down the hall to the left and in the center, 300 is at the top of the stairs on the third floor. Do you need a luggage trolley to get in from the cars?” She was trying her best to be professional and sincere. But on the inside, she was in a mild state of panic. Her Soulmates, and Alpha’s were staying at the Inn she worked at. She had the rest of this shift, and the one tomorrow night to get through. Thank the universe it was a small Inn and no one else would be vying for her professional attention as she tried to dodge her way around this fiasco._

  _“They’re professional travelers, at this point, traveling pretty light. I think we can manage without the trolley, or dumbwaiter. Thank you, Ms. Poe.” Luke accepted the keys, turned and went back to the door._

  _Outside, Luke found Tom, Chris, Else, Sophie and Benedict pulling their various bags from the trunk of the two sedans they had rented from the airport. He handed each man a key before turning to address Tom._

  _“Before you go in, you should know this is the Inn Zarina works at,” Luke said, bluntly. He knew it was better to just tell Tom these things instead of dancing around the subject and hope he’d catch on. “She’s inside, behind the desk.” Luke didn’t bother waiting for Tom’s response. He grabbed his own bag from the trunk, locked up the car and went back inside._

  _“Did you know she worked here?” Elsa accused._

  _Tom took a moment before he found his voice. “No. She never mentioned which bed and breakfast she worked at. Just that she worked at one part time. I swear, this is sheer coincidence.”_

  _“Well, better get checked in, lover-boy,” Benedict teased, earning himself a smack in the shoulder from his wife and a glare from Elsa. Chris just chuckled as he took his wife’s bag from her and began walking with Tom into the Inn._

  _Tom actually felt a bit self-conscious. He wasn’t expecting to see Zarina as soon as he got into Madison. He was hoping to have time to freshen up, maybe take a shower, a nap. Have a chance to change out of the clothes he’d been wearing on a plane for over 18 hours. He was suddenly too aware of how he smelled, of his unwashed hair, and the stain on his shirt from his in flight meal. Chris and Benedict both noticed Tom’s hesitation outside the front door._

  _“You alright, mate?” Chris asked, quietly._

  _“Uh, I just...” Tom took a breath. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was being ridiculous, but he hadn’t seen her in a month, and they didn’t exactly leave on the best terms. Even though they had spoken to each other since then, at least once a week, usually a bit more often, he couldn’t shake the nerves that were chewing away at his insides._

  _“Dude, you got this. It’s just Zarina. Your Pixie, remember. She’s seen you in your Loki costume between takes. She’s seen you in your goofy jogging shorts, all sweaty and gross. She’s in her professional setting, where she’s probably seen plenty of people look a lot worse from traveling. Take a breath. Relax and go say hi!” Chris nudged his friend’s shoulder before pulling the door open for him._

  _The lobby was small, not a lot of space between the entrance and the reception desk. As soon as he walked over the threshold, his breath caught in his throat and Tom stopped all too suddenly. His Soulmate, his Omega, his Pixie, was standing on the other side of the reception desk, smiling politely as Luke signed a couple forms. After she took them back and filed them away, she looked up, and her smile grew at seeing him standing like an idiot in the middle of the doorway. Tom almost fell to the floor when Benedict shoved him from behind._

  _“Come on, man, you’re blocking the door.”_

  _Tom blushed, smiled bashfully and stumbled to the side to let his friends in._

  _“Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Madison!” Zarina greeted cheerfully._


End file.
